Harry Potter and the Inquisition
by The Hallows
Summary: After saving the life of an Inquisitor at the age of four, Harry is taken in by the Inquisition and trained to hunt down Dark Wizards. When his next assignment leads him to teach at Hogwarts, it begins a series of events that will change his life forever.
1. A New Life

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

Note: This will NOT be a sci-fi fic. No space ships, futuristic technology (although there will be advanced magic technology), aliens, or other worlds. This is all on planet Earth.

Inspired by Warhammer 40,000 and the Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett.

Summery: After being found by an Inquisitor on assignment, Harry Potter is taken to the Inquisition headquarters to undergo training where he become the youngest Inquisitor in over five hundred years, graduating at the age of fifteen. Unfortunately, when the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry discovers his identity, he manages to get Harry, now age sixteen, assigned to the school as a protector, and teacher. With the recent resurgence of Death Eaters, and a certain Dark Lord, Harry has little choice but to comply. Unfortunately, Harry's troubles may just be beginning. A hidden enemy waits in the dark for it's time to strike, and plunge the world into chaos, and all of it's plans centre on the young Inquisitor. Add to this trouble with bounty hunters, his fellow Inquisitors, and teenage hormones, and Harry is in for a rough mission.

* * *

A young Harry Potter wandered down the dark street. His thin hands were shoved deep into his many sizes too big trousers, a hand-me-down from his overweight cousin, Dudley. It was late evening now, almost midnight, far past the curfew of a four year old like himself but he didn't care. Anytime he came home would always either be too late or too early for his relatives liking. At the very least he could expect a cuff to the back of the head, a berating lecture about how he was a good-for-nothing waste and sent to his cupboard At worst…

He shuddered. He didn't want to think of what would happen if his Uncle was in a bad mood and he just happened to be in the way. That was a situation that never ended well. Or painlessly. He still remembered the time his Uncle's company lost a particularly large client and Harry accidentally broke one of the plates. The scars still itched sometimes…

He sighed and turned off Mongolia Road, heading towards the empty park. Since it was early summer the breeze was rather warm so his thin clothes were of no concern, even at night. When he reached the park he plopped down onto one of the empty swings, letting it sway back and forth slightly. His stomach rumbled painfully and he wrapped his arms around it, trying to will the ache to go away. Dudley had been allowed to have his friends around today and his Aunt Petunia had decided that there wasn't enough food for him, despite the large bags of groceries sitting on the kitchen counter at the time. Apparently even a little food was too much for the little orphan.

And that was what he was. Harry Potter, age four, orphaned at age one and sent to live with his 'hardworking, respectable' Aunt and Uncle. He didn't know much about his parents, only that they were drunks who died in a car crash when he was little. A car crash which gave him the distinct lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Despite it's ugly origins, the scar was one of the few things about his appearance he liked. When compared to his skinny, underfed frame and his untameable black hair, it was easy for the small mass of scar tissue to be his favourite 'accessory' as it where. Other than that, the only thing he guessed he liked was his eyes which were an unusual shade of green, one that would become brighter or darker depending on his mood.

He was broken from his revere by a large explosion from behind, the shockwave throwing him forward to the ground as the heat from the blast washed over him. Ears ringing, he groggily managed to turn onto his back and push himself into a sitting position, only for his eyes to widen at the sight before him.

The grassy field before him was pockmarked with craters, flames littering the ground, providing light as shadowed figures ran to and fro, beams of multicoloured lights erupting from their hands, some hitting the moving shadows, others hitting the ground causing more small explosions. The figures were shouting but he couldn't hear anything apart from the ringing in his ears thanks to the blast.

Within minutes many of the shadows fell to the beams of light, some with screams, others silently. Harry's ears were beginning to recover from the sound of the explosion when he heard a shout, a whooshing sound, and a grunt as someone hit the ground. Startled, Harry crawled to the source of the sound and peered past the slide where he could see two shadowed figures; one on the ground, panting, and another standing over the first. The second figure's hand was pointed towards the one on the ground and Harry saw that the hand clutched a long, smooth stick.

"Well, Alizabeth, it looks like I win this time." The first figure taunted, it's high, screechy voice that of a man.

The figure on the ground, Alizabeth Harry presumed, clutched it's hand in pain and Harry thought he could see something wet on the limb. "After all this time you should realise that if I don't kill you one of my colleagues will, Solomon." A rich, English accented voice retorted, one Harry knew had to belong to a woman.

"I doubt that. Once I kill you I'll be out of this country within the hour and your petty Inquisition will never find me." Solomon gloated as the stick began to glow a sickly green.

Harry tried to inch closer to see their faces when his foot connected with a wayward stone, sending it skipping across the ground and connecting loudly against the metal ladder leading to the top of the slide.

Solomon whipped his wand towards the sound and smirked as he saw the small Muggle child cowering beside the slide. "Well hello there!" He called cheerfully but somehow Harry didn't feel at ease. If anything he felt even more afraid. "What's a little Muggle like you doing outside at a time like this? Do you see this, Alizabeth? What has happened to today's youth?"

Alizabeth turned her head and her eyes widened at the sight of the small boy directly in the path of Solomon's wand. The kid couldn't have been more than three or four. She glanced around frantically for her own wand but saw that it was a few feet to his right. Too far away if she wanted to try and grab it before Solomon killed her or the boy. Frustrated she yelled, "Kid, run!"

Harry didn't have to be told twice but before he could turn, the green light shot out of Solomon's wand and struck the slide, bouncing off with a loud clang and ricocheting into the air. Harry yelled in fright and launched himself to the side as another spell shot past him, the beam scorching the skin of his exposed forearm. He hit the ground with a thud and looked up to see the man with his wand pointed right at him, a blazing orange glow at it's tip.

Instinctively, Harry brought his hands up to shield his face when he felt a _pressure_ erupt from his outstretched palms. The distortion cleared the distance between the man and boy in an instant and sent Solomon tumbling back through the air before landing with a painful thud. Snarling in rage, he pulled himself to his feet and pointed his wand directly at the boy's face.

"_Avada Ked--!"_

He was cut off as a red jet of light impacted his chest, sending onto his back, unconscious. Harry looked up to see the woman, Alizabeth, get roughly to her feet, her wand trained on the man at all times. Wordlessly, she summoned his wand and tucked it into one of her inner pockets before binding him with tight ropes. With a weary sigh she healed her cut hand and turned to the shocked boy staring up at her, his face pale.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her voice filled with gentle concern.

Gulping nervously, Harry nodded.

She noticed the burn on his forearm and gestured towards it. "May I?"

Hesitantly, Harry held out his arm, ready to yank it back in at a moment's notice. Alizabeth took his wrist in a gentle grip, and inspected the wound. It was nothing more than a graze which was lucky as the curse that caused it would have taken his arm off if it had connected. She dragged her wand lightly across the wound and Harry was amazed to see the scorched skin heal and vanish leaving an untarnished arm in it's wake.

"H-How did…" Harry could only stutter out in a jumbled stream.

Alizabeth smirked. "Magic."

Harry looked up at her and could finally see some detail now that she was out of the shadows. She was a beautiful woman, that was for certain. Not sexy but beautiful in a more classy way. High cheekbones denoted healthy living, and fine lineage while luscious black hair cascaded down her back as bright blue eyes glittered with compassion and intelligence. She wore no jewellery or make-up save for a light coat of black eye shadow to accentuate her eyes. Glancing down, he saw that she was clad in a dark purple leather coat that fell to her knees over a breastplate made of what looked like black, scaled leather and a pair of pair of black stonewashed combat denims tucked into a pair of heeled boots. She immediately gave the impression of a swashbuckler, at least a noble, highborn one.

"Can you tell me your name?" She asked, getting Harry's attention once more.

"H-Harry Potter, ma'am."

Alizabeth's eyebrows arched in surprise and her eyes flicked towards his fringe which hid his lightning bolt scar before returning to his face. "Hello, Harry, my name's Alizabeth Bequin. Can you tell me what your doing out here at this time of night? Won't your, uh, parents be worried about you?"

Harry glanced down at his feet. "I don't have any." He mumbled. "I'm an orphan, I live with my Aunt and Uncle."

"I'm sorry." Alizabeth said sympathetically. Then she looked thoughtful. "Harry? Can you tell me what you did a moment ago? When you threw that man across the ground, can you tell me how you did it?"

Harry's eyes flew up and he became panicked. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it, it was an accident, I promise!"

She quickly grasped his hands to prevent him from bolting and tried to calm him. "Harry, you're not in trouble so don't worry. You probably saved my life with what you did and helped me catch a very bad man that I've been looking for." She laced her voice with a minor compulsion charm to make him believe her.

It worked and he visibly calmed but she didn't let go of his hands. Once she was sure he wouldn't to run off she tried again. "So can you tell me what happened, Harry?"

Harry just shrugged. "I don't know. I was scared and when he pointed his stick at me I threw up my hands and he went flying back."

"So you didn't do it on purpose?"

Harry shook his head negative and inwardly Alizabeth was impressed. _'Accidental magic that powerful is a rare thing. That bastard had a shield around him and Harry managed to blast through it with ease. This is one powerful boy.'_

She was broken out of her musings when she saw one of her group approaching.

It was Midas Betancore; her pilot, driver, and all around travel agent. The dark skinned man was clad in his usual black Dragon hide boots, breeches and tunic with red piping and his favourite cerise silk jacket over that. The man was light in build with a slender face and slightly taller than her.

"Got them all, Alizabeth. Some were killed in the fight but we managed to catch most of them. No casualties on our side." He said, his voice holding what sounded like a Hispanic accent. His brow arched as he saw her sitting in front of a small, messy haired child. "Hello, what have we got here? You been popping out kids while we were doing all that nasty fighting, Lizzie?"

Alizabeth glared at her friend and associate. "No, you moron, he was hiding nearby when we were fighting. And don't call me Lizzie!"

Midas chuckled and glanced towards the bound form of Solomon. "I guess you finally caught him then?"

Alizabeth smirked. "Actually, _he's_ the one who caught Solomon. Saved my life in the process too. Broke through shield with a wave of accidental magic, no resistance at all."

Midas whistled appreciatively through his teeth and looked at Harry appraisingly. The boy didn't look like much if the oversized clothes were anything to go by. He glanced back at Alizabeth, somewhat doubtful. "You sure, Beth? I'm mean he don't look like the kind of person that could break through the shield of someone like Solomon Lok?"

Alizabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. I saw it with my own eyes. Don't call me Beth either. And for future reference, don't call me Liz, Ali, Liza, Alibee, or, God forbid, Boss Man, or I'll strangle you with that jacket you like so much."

Midas fake shuddered and backed up a step. "So angry. So violent." He grinned. "I think I'm in love."

Alizabeth could only shake her head in exasperation and turn back to Harry, tuning Midas out. "Now, Harry, how's about we get you home? Your Aunt and Uncle might be getting worried."

She was surprised as Harry seemed to recede into himself, before giving a small, "Okay."

She nodded and turned back to Midas who was poking Lok's unconscious body with the toe of his boot. "Midas, take over here for me. Make sure to get the prisoners back to the base and leave someone to deal with the damage and the authorities."

Midas gave a playful bow and took out his wand to levitate Lok's body, before leading it over to where the rest of their team was assembled.

Alizabeth turned back to Harry, who was gaping at the man floating in mid air. She reached out to gently close his open mouth and Harry blinked before smiling, embarrassed. She stood up and dusted off her clothes before reaching out a hand for Harry's. "Coming?"

With only a moments hesitation, Harry took Alizabeth's hand and she led him out of the park after asking for his address. It was past midnight and they were the only ones in the street, the only sound being the sound of their steps. Alizabeth noticed that the closer they got to Privet Drive, the more fearful and resigned Harry's expression became, the only thing keeping him from slowing being Alizabeth's steady pace. It didn't take a genius to see that Harry didn't want her to meet his family. _'Either that or _he _doesn't want to see his family.'_ A small voice in her head ventured.

Soon enough they reached Number Four and Alizabeth saw the living room light was on, signifying that someone was awake. She led a reluctant Harry up the path and discreetly cast a Notice-Me-Not Charm on her armour as Harry opened the front door and stood aside to let her enter. No sooner had the door clanked shut than a man's booming voice filled the house.

"BOY, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!? YOU WERE TOLD TO HAVE YOUR MISERABLE ARS--" The large, beefy man stopped dead when he registered the stranger in him home, accompanying his worthless freak of a nephew who stood off to the side, trying to blend into the background. "Who're you?" He asked the woman rudely.

Alizabeth took it in stride as she withdrew a badge from her coat, and flashed it at Dursley. "I'm Inspector Alizabeth Bequin, Scotland Yard."

Immediately, Dursley changed from 'rude pig' to 'simpering idiot' in 0.2 seconds. He plastered a sickeningly fake smile on his face and altered between looking nervously at Alizabeth and glancing murderously at Harry. "Oh?" He asked, his voice squeaky with false cheer. "What can we do for you inspector? I hope that my nephew hasn't caused too much trouble? He's always been causing us no end of stress, always making trouble and getting in fight--"

"Actually, Mr Dursley," Alizabeth interrupted coldly, thankful that she'd asked Harry his relatives names before they arrived. "Harry hasn't done anything wrong. If anything, he helped me a great deal. Myself, and my colleagues were pursuing a group of dangerous criminals when we had a confrontation with them in the park just off Mongolia Road. I had been injured and if it wasn't for Harry here, I would have died and a wanted criminal would have gotten away. Harry here, is a hero."

Vernon's eyes widened and he stared at his nephew in shocked suspicion before reverting to his pleasant façade. "Oh well, that's my boy!" He laughed nervously and Harry looked at his Uncle with something between amazement and incredulousness.

Alizabeth resisted the urge to sneer at the idiot's utter lack of acting skills, although it was close. She was about to speak again when a voice from the kitchen interrupted.

"Vernon? Who is it?" A rather horse faced woman poked her head out the kitchen door only for her eyes to widen when she saw her husband shuffling nervously in front of a black haired woman and her nephew. "Vernon?"

"Ah Petunia! Petunia, dear, this is Inspector Bucklan from Scotland Yard. Inspector, this is my wife, Petunia." He introduced.

"It's Inspector Bequin actually." Alizabeth corrected, giving the smallest of nods to Petunia.

"Oh, I'm sorry! How foolish of me, Inspector Bequin. Would you like to come in?" He asked gesturing towards the living room.

"I think I will." Alizabeth agreed.

"Ah, good." He turned to Harry who cringed back away from his Uncle, only making Alizabeth more suspicious. "Now, Harry, why don't you go _upstairs_ and go to bed?" Vernon rather forcibly suggested but before Harry could move Alizabeth's hand shot out to rest firmly on Harry's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Actually, I would very much prefer if Harry stayed. It is, after all, him we are talking about." Alizabeth requested but her voice told them that there was only one correct way to answer.

"Of course!" Vernon agreed, his darting eyes giving him the look of a trapped animal. He led Alizabeth, who's hand was still firmly on Harry's shoulder, into the living room. The woman steered the raven haired child to the two-seater beside the fire, and lowered them both into it as the two Dursleys sank into the two unoccupied chairs.

Deciding that she had wasted enough time here, Alizabeth went straight for the jugular. "I originally just wanted to see Harry home safe considering the time but on the way here I noticed that his clothes seem awfully large for his small frame. Also they don't seem to have been washed in quite a while and although I'm no medical expert he does seem woefully underfed. I was wondering if there was any particular reason for this?"

The Dursleys froze in their seats. Harry looked up at Alizabeth, who stared hard at the two sweating Muggles before her. Vernon managed to get himself partially together first, and managed to squeak out a stuttering reply. "W-W-Well, y-you see, with t-two boy's to c-c-care for money is scarce. W-We can't al-lways provide the b-best things--"

"But Mr Dursley," Alizabeth interrupted. "On the way in I saw three rather expensive cars in the drive and judging by the large telly over there, the fancy china, refurbished kitchen and the antique vase on the mantle you don't seem hard pressed for cash. If you can pay for those rather expensive comforts then why can't you afford to provide the upkeep for your nephew?"

Vernon was practically sweating bullets now. "I-I-I u-u-um--"

Alizabeth decided to dig a little deeper and probed the man's mind with a little Legillimency, only for her eyes to narrow further in anger. "Harry," She asked with a voice of forced calm, as to not make the boy think her anger was directed towards him. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer them as truthfully as you can, alright?"

Harry gulped to get rid of the nervousness in his throat, and gave a shaky nod.

"Okay. Now I want you to tell me, without looking at the Dursleys, where you have slept for the past four years." Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw the Dursleys freeze and his Uncle Vernon shoot him a half pleading, half threatening glare. "Don't look at them, Harry, look at me."

Harry forced himself to look back at Alizabeth, who was sitting sideways on the settee which allowed her to look at Harry but keep the Dursleys in her line of sight. "The…the cupboard under the stairs."

Vernon shot up out of his seat. "He's lying! We never--"

"SIT!" Alizabeth roared, causing the other three to jump, and forcing Vernon to collapse into his chair. With a glare at the fat man, Alizabeth turned back to Harry. "Now, Harry, did they ever force you to do housework for them?"

Slightly confused, Harry nodded. "Yes but they were my chores, ma'am."

Glancing at the shaking couple across from them, Alizabeth asked, "What kind of chores, Harry?"

Harry listed them off by heart. "Clean the house, mow the lawn, cook the food, clean the car, sometimes rewire the plugs, I had to repave the garden path yesterday, retile the roof--"

"That's enough, Harry." Alizabeth said, her anger towards the Muggles growing rapidly. It was taking all her will power not to hex them into dust. '_Cook the food, rewire the plugs, RETILE THE FUCKING ROOF!? What is wrong with these people?'_

She took a deep, calming breath as she prepared herself for the final question. Or rather, it's answer. "Harry?" She asked, her voice as gentle and soothing as she could make it. "Did they ever hit you?"

Everyone else in the living room froze. The Dursleys out of fear, Harry out of shock, embarrassment _and_ fear. What was he supposed to say? If he said yes this lady could maybe get him out of there and away from the Dursleys forever but she could also leave him there and he would have to suffer his Uncle's wrath for divulging the secret. Hope and fear battled in his chest as he thought about what to do. His answer could very well change his life. Or end it.

Alizabeth could see his indecision and decided that he needed to say it for himself. "Harry?" She gently tilted his chin up so he was looking into her cool, blue eyes. "Did they hurt you?"

Harry took a shaky breath.

And nodded.

Dursley flew out of his char, his fat fingers reaching for the boy's throat. "STOP LYING, BOY!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

In a flash Alizabeth was in front of Harry, her wand in hand and fire in her eyes. Before he could take two steps Alizabeth blasted the fat whale backwards with a _very _overpowered Stunner. The glutinous sack of waste flew over his chair and screaming wife and crashed into the tacky chandelier about the dining room table, shattering it before falling onto the table, crushing the poor wood beneath his tremendous girth. In no mood for the woman's caterwauling, Alizabeth quickly Silenced the bony faced shrew with a non-verbal _silencio_.

Harry sat in shocked silence. One minute his Uncle was coming towards him and the next the overgrown bully was decked out on his own dinner table and his Aunt's ear piercing shriek was silenced although he could still see her mouth moving. Alizabeth still stood between him and his relatives, her strange stick in her hand. He didn't even see her move. She just seemed to appear before him.

Alizabeth looked around at the damage. The man was out of it, bleeding slightly from the head and the woman wouldn't stop screaming despite her lack of a voice. Taking a claming breath to prevent doing anymore damage, she spoke to Harry without turning. "Harry, I want you to go, and gather your things. I'm leaving this place and I'm taking you with me. Try to hurry I don't want to be around these pathetic excuses for humans for too much longer."

Hardly daring to believe his ears, Harry ran into the hall and yanked open his cupboard door, removing the few meagre positions he had. After chucking his few clothes and possessions into a plastic bag that had been lying on the floor, Harry made is way back to Alizabeth. He found her in the exact spot she was in when he had left. It seemed Aunt Petunia had stopped screaming and had ran to her husband's down form, cowering beside him.

Alizabeth looked round when he entered and threw him a smile. "Ready to get out of here?"

Harry nodded excitedly, hardly daring to believe this was actually happening. Alizabeth would have laughed at his look of glee if it weren't for the circumstances. She watched as Harry turned to look at his relative. There was no anger, hate or indeed any emotion on his face. It was as if they were just a part of the scenery. "What'll happen to them?"

Alizabeth sighed and threw another glare at the cowering couple. "If they weren't Muggles I'd have probably already killed them by now. I have the authority to do it but I've never been able to bring myself to kill a Muggle especially with magic. I could also have them arrested but that would take time and effort and considering who you are I don't want to go through official channels with the British Ministry."

"What do you mean 'who I am'? What does that got to do with anything?"

Alizabeth shot him a confused glance before growling at the Dursleys. He could hear her mumbling something that sounded like, "Stupid…ucking…o good waste of…" She gathered herself and shook her head. "I'll tell you later, Harry. As I was saying, killing them is out, so is arresting them. People may get overly suspicious if we wipe your entire existence from their memories as not many people have the skill to do that so I think the best choice is to modify their memories to make it seem you ran away."

Harry blinked. "Wipe their memories? How?"

Alizabeth grinned and waved the stick in her hand at him. "Magic. Don't worry though they have to pay for the way they've treated you so I'm going to leave a few…_surprises _for them." An evil grin made it's way onto her face. "Why don't you wait outside Harry? I'll be out in a minute."

Not really wanting to see what she had in store for his relatives Harry quickly backed out of the living room and went outside, closing the door behind him. He didn't have to wait long as five minutes later Alizabeth exited, a satisfied smirk on her pretty face. She smiled cheerfully down at Harry. "You ready?"

Harry nodded and was surprised when she took his arm above the elbow and spun. He didn't know what was going on but all he knew was the uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed through a rubber tube, a few streaks of light and a pressure preventing him from breathing then it was over. He stumbled forward, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Shakily, he looked up at Alizabeth. "W-What was that!?"

Alizabeth smiled sheepishly. "Apparation. Basically; near instant teleportation from one place to another. It takes some getting used to." She walked forward and Harry saw that they were in front of an old warehouse. He couldn't see much because of the darkness and lack of street lights but he reckoned it to be about a hundred feet wide. He watched as Alizabeth raised her stick and gave it a wave and to his amazement the large shutter to the warehouse slid open with a loud screech to display organised chaos.

People ran too and fro, chattering in a mixed jumble as they packed things up Crates both packed and half packed lay scattered around the place, waiting to be moved. Near the centre of the room was a large cage containing dozens of bound figures clad in black robes.

A dumbfounded Harry followed Alizabeth through the streams of people until they reached what could only be described as the eye of the storm as people clamoured for the attention of the men and women manning tables of what vaguely looked like computers. At the centre of it all was the man from earlier; Midas if Harry remembered correctly. He was going over a chart when he looked up to see Alizabeth approaching with the boy from earlier. He arched a brow.

"I thought you were taking him home." Midas said, gesturing to the small boy.

Alizabeth just shrugged. "There were…_extenuating circumstances_. I've decided to take him back to the Conclave and have him processed."

Midas' jaw fell and he gaped at the woman for a full minute before asking, "Are you high?"

Alizabeth laughed and closed Midas' mouth. "No, Midas, I'm not high."

"But do you know what you're doing!?" Midas asked, incredulously.

Alizabeth nodded, not at all affected by Midas' shock. "Of course, Midas. The boy is powerful and he has a wealth of potential. Once he is processed I plan to take him on as my Interrogator." She said without a trace of doubt then smiled. "I think he'll make a fine pupil."

"Excuse me but what's going on?"

They turned to see Harry at their side. Both were surprised that the young boy had managed to sneak up on them. Alizabeth smiled and crouched down to his eye level. "Well, we're just tidying up here then we're going home. I want to take you to my boss and have you made my student."

Harry's eyes were wide. "Really? What will I be learning?"

Alizabeth just smiled. "Magic."

Harry's head tilted to the side. "That's the third time you've said that. What does it mean and does it have anything to do with what you did to my Aunt and Uncle? In fact who are you guys?"

Alizabeth stood to her full, not-inconsiderable height and folded her arms under her chest. "My name is Alizabeth Bequin. I'm an Inquisitor of the Holy Order of the Inquisition. I also happen to be a Witch."

* * *

The headquarters of the Inquisition was located deep under the Himalayan Mountains. The complex was massive, dwarfing most modern cities. Kilometres of tunnels housed the most secret organisation in magical history from prying eyes. It was protected by innumerable layers of wards, gates, parapets, magical creatures, advanced magical technologies and a large army of specially trained Custodians. The very walls of the place housed ancient and terrible magic, most of which is only vaguely understood by those that called this vast complex home. There was no set design, each area being different from the last. One section of tunnels could be grimy dank tunnels, long forgotten by the inhabitants and others were places of unrivalled splendour, consisting of arching domes, golden pillars and intricate artworks. The sheer value of the items within could not be imagined by humans and would drive many mad if they were to attempt to calculate it. It was in this place that dwell some of the most dangerous people alive who's soul job it was to watch over the world and eradicate any threat by whatever means necessary.

The first and last line of defence against these threats were the Inquisitors. Men and women of unrivalled valour, skill and authority. Each Inquisitor is a master of magic, having been trained for years to utilize their potential to it's fullest. It was their duty to watch for any sign of corruption and rip it out before it can spread any further. Their word is law, recognised by all governments, be it human or non-human, magical or Muggle. They answer only to their Lords within the Inquisition for they are exempt from persecution from the world's political leaders simply because of the magnitude of the delicate issues they deal with and the dangerous knowledge they possess.

One such Inquisitor was Alizabeth Bequin. After being found to possess an incredible grasp of magic, coupled with a sharp mind, she was brought to the Inquisition's notice by her future teacher, Gregor Eisenhorn. A girl of noble upbringing, Alizabeth was processed and subsequently enrolled into the Schola Progenium; the academy where all agents of the Inquisition are taught. She stayed there until the age of seventeen when she left to continue studying under Inquisitor Eisenhorn for a few years until she gained the rank of Inquisitor at age twenty-two. Over the years she had lead famous investigations such as the Proctor incident and the Black Hand uprisings. She had always been a more humane, subtle Inquisitor, preferring to use diplomacy and stealth to complete her objectives instead of flaunting her power like most other heavy handed Inquisitors.

It was thoughts like these that ran through the mind of Lord Inquisitor Phlebas Allesandro Rorken. The venerable senior Inquisitor was a man well into his one-hundreds but still as deadly as when he was young. Clad in simple red and black robes, the Lord Inquisitor chose to forgo the extravagant garb others of his position liked to parade around in, with his golden 'I' shaped signet ring of office on his right ring finger. His head was shaved completely bald, save for the white goatee around his mouth.

His eyes seemed to bore into Bequin and although she had never gotten over the bout of nerves that would erupt in her when she was in the aged warrior's presence, she didn't let it show. Rorken threaded his fingers before him and locked eyes with Alizabeth.

"You wish to take young Potter on as your student?" His voice seemed to carry throughout the cathedral-like chamber, which was empty save for them.

"I do, my lord." She replied.

"Any particular reason why young Mr Potter has piqued your interest?"

"Sir, while I was battling the Dark Wizard Solomon Lok, I was injured and disarmed. Lok had been surrounded by a powerful shield at the time and when he was just about to kill me, Harry accidentally got his attention. Thinking he was a Muggle, Lok prepared to kill him and despite being afraid and confused, Harry had the right intuition to get out of the way, avoiding the attack."

"So the boy had sharp reflexes and listens to his gut. This doesn't seem like much incentive to train him as an Inquisitor." Rorken stated.

"No, my Lord, it isn't." Alizabeth agreed. "But Harry was injured by Lok and when he was about to cast a Dismembering curse, Harry struck out with a wave of powerful magic, completely blasting through Lok's shields and threw him back several meters allowing me to retrieve my wand and capture him."

Rorken arched an eyebrow. Power like that at such a young age was rare. If that power was harnessed and focused, then the boy could become quite the adversary. "That does provide a reason for his training." Rorken conceded. "But what are your plans for the boy, considering I let you go ahead with this?"

Luckily Alizabeth had been thinking about that all the way back to headquarters. "Sir, I realise I can't just have him signed to me as my Interrogator immediately and even if I could I would not. He would gain a far more rounded education if he were enrolled into the Schola Progenium, at least for a few years. It would also give him the chance to meet others his age and develop much needed social skills which would help him greatly in the field. I propose that when he is ready he be transferred to my staff as my official Interrogator. After a few years I am certain that he will become a fine Inquisitor under your command."

Rorken's mouth twitched slightly, a small sign of a smirk. "You've become quite attached to him in such a short time, Alizabeth."

The Inquisitor blushed also imperceptibly. "I think he has rare potential, sir." She said weakly.

Rorken chucked. "Of that I'm sure."

* * *

Soon after Harry was enrolled into the Schola Progenium to begin his education. The first few months had served as an induction to magic and allowed the students to learn more about who and what they were. Most of the work had been bookwork, something that Harry wasn't too keen on but knew he had to learn. Failure or refusal to study resulted in harsh punishments ranging from cleaning the classroom with a toothbrush to running laps through the many miles of tunnels. It was three months after he began the Schola that they moved onto the more interesting classes.

They had been divided up into different groups. These groups decided what you would train to be. Many of the boys were chosen to join the Custodies guards and many of the girls were chosen for the Healer training although there was diversity. After further dividing and sending people off to be trained as things like linguists, tactics officers, decoders, and the such they finally came to the group everyone aimed for. The Inquisitor trainees. Only ten pupils out of a class of four-hundred were chosen, and Harry thanked his lucky stars that he was one of those few.

Soon enough Harry learned that training to become an Inquisitor would probably be one of his toughest challenges yet. The workload increased tenfold, with essays being issued on all topics from history to ancient languages and Inquisitorial mandate. Alongside this was the combat training, the diplomacy training, the Occlumency and Legillimency training and many more classes that he didn't even want to think about. At the end of each day they would have to use their non-existent energy to stay up and finish essays or memorise the Inquisitorial laws before going to sleep and starting the whole thing over again.

Despite the stressful workload Harry excelled in his studies. He accelerated beyond his group's level of work fast and was taking assignments designed for students several years his senior. His combat marks were phenomenal and his magical control and power were through the roof. He wasn't quite Inquisitor level yet but he was quickly getting there.

It was at the age of ten when things changed. Alizabeth, who he had kept in close contact with over the years, entered the training hall one day and spoke to the instructor. When she was finished she walked over to where he was doing push-ups and told him to follow her. Confused, he did as he was told and before long they found themselves in the Schola Head Inquisitor's office. It was a surprise for Harry to discover that instead of being punished for some kind of slight like he was expecting he was to be immediately transferred to Alizabeth's staff as her Interrogator which meant he was her official apprentice. Struck dumb with shock he could only nod numbly as he was told to collect his things from the dorms.

Like most Inquisitors, Alizabeth owned a large manor outside of the Conclave among the hills of Italy. She moved Harry into one of the spare bedrooms and immediately set about introducing him to the rest of the team. Harry got along well with most of them, especially Midas and began to feel quite at home with the Inquisitor's warband. Alizabeth immediately took over his training, coaching him in the ways of an Inquisitor. The Schola only taught them what an Inquisitor's duty was but Bequin taught him how to get the job done. She had explained that being an Inquisitor was one of the dirtiest jobs there was and as such one must know how to play the game. She began taking him with her on missions, even going so far as to assign important tasks to him as a learning experience. Together they travelled all over the planet in pursuit of her investigations, capturing dangerous enemies and discovering fascinating secrets of old magic. Harry loved every minute of it.

It was a bittersweet celebration when a few days after Harry's fifteenth birthday he was called to the Conclave to stand before Lord Rorken, Alizabeth and two other Inquisitors that Harry knew from previous missions. Harry's jaw hit the floor when Lord Rorken told him that Alizabeth had put his name forward for full Inquisitorial status; a feat almost unheard of for someone of his age. Alizabeth gave her nomination without hesitation, smiling at her pupil in pride as the other two Inquisitors mirrored her words. Rorken nodded in acceptance before adding his own nomination, completing the required number of votes and told Harry to stand before him, something the young boy did with little hesitance. Reverently, Rorken presented him with a rectangular box made of dark obsidian, the 'I' symbol of the Inquisition engraved onto the lid. Harry pressed his thumb to the grinning winged skull at the centre of the 'I' and winced as he felt something pierce his skin, taking a sample of his blood.

The box whirred quietly for a moment before something clicked and the lid was lifted away too reveal a satin lined interior holding two objects.

The first was the signet ring all Inquisitors received at the completion of their training. It was pure silver with the 'I' symbol sitting on the band. Harry reverently placed it onto his right ring finger and watched for a moment as it reflected the light before reaching for the second, far more important object.

With slightly shaking hand he lifted it out of the box. It was his Inquisitorial Rosette, an Inquisitor's badge of office. It was a decent sized red obsidian 'I' with a band of silver going around the edge. It was made to be either hung around the neck by a chain, pinned to clothing or placed inside a wallet as a badge. He hung the chain around his neck before bowing low to Lord Rorken.

After nearly two hours being briefed concerning his new role Harry and Alizabeth returned to the Manor, where the rest of the team had set up a surprise party in honour of the occasion. The evening was filled with fun, laughter, drinking and even some tears as they realised that their little Harry was growing up.

It was exactly one week later when Harry left for his very first mission as an Inquisitor. He was headed for Egypt where a cult was kidnapping residents of a small town and sacrificing them to their heathen god. Harry successfully led a squad of Egyptian Aurors in a raid against the cult's compound, capturing many of the cultists and freeing quite a few captured villagers. The mission was deemed a success and Harry moved onto his next case but always remembered to keep in touch with his old teacher, staying at the Manor until he had enough for his own place.

Harry continued hunting Dark Wizards, his reputation growing at a steady pace as the youngest Inquisitor in five-hundred years proved his worthiness of the title. It was nearly one year to the day when Harry received a mission that would change his life forever.

* * *

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sighed as he left the conference. He had been called away to a gathering of the International Confederation of Wizards in Belgium to fulfil his role of Supreme Mugwump. As if his schedule weren't full enough, what with running the school, dealing with the Ministry _and _combating the recent resurrection of Voldemort. Tom and his Death Eaters had finally declared war against magical Britain after almost a year in hiding and were causing terror on a daily basis. Things were going back to how they were sixteen years ago before Voldemort's supposed death at the hands of young Harry Potter.

That gave him pause. Harry, son of James Potter and Lily Evans, deemed the Boy-Who-Lived had been the one to end a war that had taken the lives of many good Witches and Wizards, almost destroying an entire generation. He had placed the young child with Lily's sister Petunia and her family for the single reason that Lily's sacrifice, born out of love for her son, enabled him to create powerful Blood Wards that would protect Harry from any of Tom's old supporters who had slipped through the net at the end of the last war. It had been on a night twelve years before that the instruments that monitored the wards told him something highly disturbing. The wards had fallen, something that shouldn't have been possible. He immediately rushed to the Dursley residence and confronted Petunia about her nephew's whereabouts only to be shocked at the callous and spiteful way she and her husband talked of the child. When he finally got the full story, it turned out that Harry had left the house one night and just never came back. Since the Dursleys said he hadn't taken any of his belongings it was doubtful that Harry ran away. He Flooed straight to the Ministry to assemble a search party to locate the child. The new Minister Cornelius Fudge was not amused. He berated Dumbledore for loosing the boy, saying that he should have been put with a respectable Wizarding family or left in the care of the Ministry, not left with a family of Muggles. Feeling frustrated, Dumbledore cut him off, saying that he was going to joining the search and swept out of the office leaving a fuming Minister for Magic in his wake.

Unfortunately the search turned up nothing and Harry, despite Dumbledore's objections, was declared dead. It was terrible. There was mass mourning in the streets, small shrines dedicated to the boy on nearly every street corner, a huge funeral and a wing of St. Mungo's was even called the Harry Potter Ward, opened a week after he was declared dead. Incidentally the day Harry 'died' was declared a national day of mourning. A few days later, Fudge (Quietly as to not suffer any political backlash) tried unsuccessfully to have the Potter vaults at Gringotts absorbed into the Ministry coffers. The Goblins refused outright, saying that there was no proof that Mr Potter was dead and that even if he was it would be against their laws to just hand over the Potter vaults. Fudge left the bank in a rage.

Dumbledore sighed as he continued on his way. He needed to get back to Britain soon. The war was heating up and he didn't doubt for a moment that Tom would try to attack the school if he was away for too long. He was just about to leave the conference building when he heard something that definitely piqued his interest.

"…said that he was just finishing up an investigation in Russia. Heard it was brutal."

"Yes but I wouldn't worry too much. Brother Potter may be young but he's very skilled."

Albus came to a screeching halt. He couldn't believe his ears. He had definitely heard the name Potter. There was a small chance but in this time of desperation he dared to hope. When he turned and saw who it was that was talking, his hope grew. Two Inquisitors stood near one of the large pillars at the front of the conference building. It wasn't unusual to see members of the Inquisition in attendance at these meetings as they liked to keep on top of the current political winds. Making up his mind Dumbledore changed course, heading straight for the two men.

"Excuse me, Inquisitors, but may I have a word?"

The men turned to see the Supreme Mugwump striding towards them. Glancing at each other they shrugged. "Of course, Lord Dumbledore." One man said, his long black hair tied back in a ponytail.

Dumbledore nodded his thanks. "Thank you. I just couldn't help but overhear your conversation and I wondered if I could ask you a few questions?"

The second man, this one with short brown hair, shrugged. "I suppose so."

Feeling no need to beat around the bush, Albus jumped right in. "I was wondering, the one you were talking about? Did you say his name was Potter?"

The two nodded and Albus felt his excitement quicken. "And by any chance, is this person's first name Harry?"

When they nodded a second time Dumbledore felt a flood of relief and hope invade his body. Suddenly the future looked a whole lot brighter. Getting back to the matter at hand, Dumbledore spoke to the two Inquisitors. "Gentlemen if I could borrow some of your precious time, could I perhaps ask you of what you know about Mr Potter?"

The two Inquisitors exchanged glances. Normally such a request would be met with outright refusal and the Inquisition would be informed that the person was looking for info about one of their agents but as Supreme Mugwump Albus Dumbledore had a responsibility to help govern the magical world, just like the Inquisition and as such he kept a close relationship with the Inquisitor Lords and was kept apprised of sensitive information that would usually be restricted to the Lord Inquisitors and a few higher ranking agents. While he technically didn't outrank them, he still held a respected position. Besides he could always get the Information from one of their Lords. Finding no reason not to, the men began telling Dumbledore what they knew of Inquisitor Potter.

* * *

Harry Potter was bored.

It wasn't unusual. He was often bored when he had nothing to do. Whenever he could he'd be either heading an investigation, training, reading one of his more interesting books or going to visit Alizabeth and the old team. Sadly none of those were an option.

He'd been in his Manor winding down from his latest mission, a real bloodbath, when he had received a summons from the Conclave. This wasn't unusual, he received them tons of times before but what made this one special was the seal it bore. It was the personal seal of his boss, Lord Rorken. Quickly, he threw on his best clothes, gathered his newly polished equipment and ran to the Floo. One couldn't be scruffy _and _tardy when meeting a lord of the Inquisition after all, it just wasn't done.

After taking his private Floo back to the Conclave, Harry strode purposely towards the audience chamber. With the nerves he was feeling he wanted to run as to not be late but all that would accomplish would be him showing up out of breath after making a spectacle of himself. Like his former mistress Harry had never gotten used to being in Rorken's presence. Back in the Schola, Rorken had been a legend and meeting him in person was nerve wracking. Harry nodded to the Custodian guards and waited as the large doors to the audience chamber where opened.

The chamber was very lavish. The floors were covered by a plush crimson and gold carpet and the walls were of smooth marble detailed frescos depicting memorable moments from the Order's history taking up large sections of wall space. All around the room, display cases held priceless artefacts, both beautiful and dangerous. At the far end, sat on a large throne, was Lord Rorken himself, patiently awaiting Harry's arrival. Pushing down his nervousness, Harry strode forward.

Rorken looked up and smiled slightly as he saw his youngest Inquisitor coming towards him. "Ah, Brother Potter, you made good time."

Harry nodded back. "I left as soon as I received your summons, my Lord. It said that there were important issues to be discussed and I felt that punctuality was key."

Rorken nodded in agreement. "It is, brother. I have called you here to give you your next assignment."

Harry's eyebrows arched. Receiving a mission from Lord Rorken, while not rare, was definitely a surprise. Normally Inquisitors pursued their own investigations, then reported the findings to their Lord before storing the mission report in the archives. When a Lord Inquisitor issued a mission, it usually meant something. "A mission, my lord?"

"Indeed. I suppose you've heard of the situation in Britain?"

Harry nodded. Everyone knew of the situation in Britain. With the rise of a Dark Lord, one who he supposedly killed fifteen years ago, it was obvious that the Inquisition would hear of it. Unfortunately most Inquisitors were on assignment and so the Order hadn't been able to give the issue the attention it deserved.

Rorken continued. "Well, the Order feels that the situation has been ignored for far too long and as such has decided to act. A former associate of mine has contacted me with hopes that I can lend some assistance to help combat the Dark Wizards who are terrorizing the country. With your…_personal_ connection to the case I feel it would be best to assign this task to you."

Harry nodded. He knew that he'd eventually be connected to this case in some way given his background. In all honesty, he could have taken up the case long ago but he didn't for reasons known only to himself. "So what is the assignment?" Harry asked. "Collaborate with the British Ministry to fight the Death Eaters while actively hunting for Riddle?"

Rorken nodded and threaded his fingers. "That is part of it but not the main focus of your duties."

"My Lord?" Harry asked, confused.

"My associate has asked that you be assigned to his school as a protector and also to take up a teaching post to teach students how to defend themselves. I believe you've heard of my associate; Albus Dumbledore?"

Harry's face tightened only very slightly but Rorken's sharp eyes caught it. "You object?" The senior Inquisitor queried.

Harry shook his head but when he spoke his tone was cool. "No, my lord, I would never refuse an assignment but I feel I must question my duties. Inquisitors are hunters not teachers."

Rorken smirked. "I had assumed that given your intelligence you would have been more accepting of the role."

Harry's neutral expression didn't change. "I mean no disrespect, my lord, but I don't see how I can successfully teach these children anything. Forget the fact that most of what I know about combat is highly restricted and in some cases _illegal _spells but the students would be as old and in some cases older than I am. They would not listen to me."

Rorken consented. "They may not listen to Harry Potter the teacher, but they will listen to Harry Potter the Inquisitor."

Harry's eyes widened. "You mean for me to reveal myself to them?"

Rorken nodded. "I know that you prefer to work in the shadows but Albus has implored me to ask you to reveal your identity and rank to the Wizarding population of Britain."

Harry very nearly let his jaw drop. "But, my lord, you know how they feel about me over there! The second they know who I am my picture will be all over the papers and my future investigations could be put in jeopardy."

Rorken waved away his concerns. "That's easily taken care of by a Censorship Charm so only people who've met you will know who you are and I know that you always use a disguise when going undercover so there is very little chance of someone recognising you on a mission."

Harry forced himself to be calm. It would not do for him to get angry at Lord Rorken especially considering the fact that the man could probably kill him with little effort and be well within his rights to do it. "My lord, I feel I must ask what this will accomplish. What good would ousting me to the British population do?"

"I asked Albus the same question. The short answer? Hope. You're a hero to them, a symbol that Riddle can be defeated and if they knew that you were joining the fight especially as an Inquisitor their moral would skyrocket. I know you don't like the idea and to be honest neither did I until Albus called in an old favour."

Seeing that Harry didn't understand, Rorken elaborated. "During the war with Grindelwald I was serving as a senior Inquisitor. I was leading an investigation near Luxembourg when my group came under attack by a large force of Grindelwald's followers. Since we were taken by surprise, we were quickly cut down, myself being injured quite severely by a Bone Breaking Curse. When I was about to be killed there was an explosion and suddenly Grindelwald's followers were being cut down by spell fire. I looked up and there was Albus Dumbledore taking down enemy Wizards left, right and centre. He ensured that I was taken away and healed while they rounded up the surviving Dark Wizards. Since he saved my life, I owed him a favour."

This time Harry's jaw really did drop. "He called in a Life Debt?" To demand such a thing from an Inquisitor of Rorken's standing was…

But Rorken shook his head negative. "No, Albus isn't one to force someone to do something against their wishes. He never declared a Life Debt but I still felt I owed him a favour and recently he called me on it. He asked that you give hope back to the hopeless."

"Become their poster boy you mean?" Harry grumped unhappily, acting his age for a rare moment.

Rorken chuckled. "In a nutshell? Yes. It has been decided you'll go to Britain in a few day and work with the Ministry and Albus to bring Riddle down and when term starts you'll take up the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. You'll still be under your own command but you have to protect the school and it's students at all costs."

Harry sighed. "I really must object the post, sir, I--"

Rorken held up a hand, cutting him off. "Enough, Brother Potter, it's already been decided. You'll hunt Riddle and his Death Eaters while teaching and protecting at Hogwarts where your true identity will be revealed. Understood?"

Harry sighed and nodded knowing that the conversation was over. He gave a respectful bow before turning on his heel and marching out of the chamber. He had a mission to prepare for.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, my first Harry Potter fic. For you Eisenhorn fans out there, yes I've made Alizabeth an Inquisitor. I just feel that Gregor was too big of a shadow for Harry to step out from under, but Ravenor may make an appearance later on.**


	2. Enter the Inquisitor

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

* * *

Harry sighed as he entered his home, feeling a sense of calm surround him despite the disheartening mission Lord Rorken had given him. Shrugging off his heavy coat, Harry cast a glance at his surroundings.

The Ocean House it was called. Built into the side of a cliff in Sicily, the entire place seemed more like some tropical resort than the home of a deadly Inquisitor. The location was really a luckily find, he thought. The section of cliff the manor had been built into was natural, looking as if someone had taken a giant ice-cream scoop and carved out a section of the rock face allowing the entire manor a beautiful view of the sea. With many wings, plenty of staff, enough training facilities to suit his needs and many recreational places, Harry and his staff wanted for nothing.

There was a soft _pop_ at his feet, and Harry looked down to see one of the older House Elves at his feet, dressed in the same miniature maid's outfit all the female Elves wore.

"Hello Master Harry." The small creature greeted, bowing low with a smile on her face.

"Hello Minsy." Harry greeted. "How have things been while I was away?"

"Quiet Master Harry, although Master Bruce has been making his own food again." She answered, with a small, slightly frustrated frown at the end.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. Minsy absolutely hated it when someone made their own food or cleaned up after themselves. "Not what proper Masters should be doing!" She always claimed. "I'm sure it was a simple mistake, Minsy." He placated, reciting the same words he always did when Bruce set her off.

The little Elf 'hm'-ed disbelievingly and shook her head slightly before looking up at Harry with another smile. "Is there anything Minsy can get Master?"

"How about a bacon sandwich?"

"Right away, Master!"

With another _pop_ she vanished. Harry smiled indulgently and walked off to his favourite place in the house: the sea terrace.

With a large table in the centre and the one wall being one large window overlooking the sea, the terrace was the perfect place to relax. Lowering himself into one of the plush sofas Harry allowed himself a sigh but smiled when a plate bearing two bacon sandwiches appeared beside him. Taking a bite and laying down on the comfy piece of furniture, Harry thought over what Lord Rorken had told him about the mission.

One of the most talked about topics was dear old Albus himself. Harry already knew most of it, having looked into the old man's files himself, but it still provided some good insight. Dumbledore, to say the least, was a master of manipulation. While he never coveted power or position, Dumbledore seemed to already have it. Besides being Headmaster, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, Dumbledore often considered himself the 'Leader of the Light' in the wars against Riddle, a fact no one contested. As such, the old man often got his way with a word here or a speech there. All because he defeated Gindlewald during his rise. Harry snorted. He'd seen the report on that final battle. When Dumbledore had found him, Grindlewald was already winded from fighting Inquisitor Stern, who had used up most of his strength saving his retinue from a cave-in. Granted Dumbledore was also wounded from fighting his way through Grindlewald's fortress, it was still a lot less grand than the history books made it seem.

He sighed and covered his face with his hands. Fighting Riddle he could handle. Revealing his existence to a country who practically worshiped him was something he could do without.

Wiping his mouth free of crumbs, Harry stood and prepared to brief his staff. Tomorrow they left for England.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat in his rather handsome office, sucking on one of his beloved Lemon drops. The meeting with Alessandro went well he thought. He hadn't seen the venerable Lord Inquisitor in many years and it had been good to catch up. Naturally he'd been rather miffed at the situation regarding Harry's disappearance and training and had made sure Alessandro knew. And naturally the Inquisitor Lord didn't care. He cited that Inquisitorial recruitment and training was no one's business but the Inquisition and that if they wanted to take Harry and train him then the only one who had the right to say no was Harry. Dumbledore had eventually dropped it, knowing a warrior as old and powerful as Lord Rorken wasn't easily cowed.

Despite that minor unpleasantness, Albus had managed to convince Alessandro to assign the mission of protecting Hogwarts and help combating Voldemort's Death Eaters to young Harry. When he'd asked if the boy was capable of handling himself in a fight, Rorken had actually _laughed _at him, saying there was no worry.

That had him worried. Although the Inquisition had a long and glorious history, there were occasions when one of their Order delved too deep into Dark and forbidden magic, becoming what the Inquisition called Heretics; the worst kind of Dark Wizard. If Harry had been exposed to those shady elements within the Inquisition then what had he grow to be like? He sighed. He had hoped that by placing him with the Dursley family all those years ago that he'd be protected against any threat from Voldemort after his demise and that once he'd attended Hogwarts he'd be more willing to accept training for Tom's eventual resurrection. Harry's disappearance, and what Albus had thought was the undoing of the prophesy, had robbed the old man of most of his hope, believing that there was no one else who could put the war to a final end.

'_Lets just hope that young Harry has remained pure and is willing to cooperate with me towards the Greater Good.'_ Dumbledore thought.

Swallowing his lemon drop, Dumbledore prepared to continue on with his paperwork when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door creaked open to reveal the worn figure of Argus Filch, the school caretaker. "There's a boy here to see you Headmaster. Says it's important."

Dumbledore immediately brightened. _'This must be Harry.'_ "Please send him in Argus."

The old Squib nodded before opening the door wider, allowing the visitor to enter the office proper.

'_Good Lord.' _Dumbledore thought. _'He looks just like James.'_

The teen before him stood tall, his shoulders wide and his body strong from countless hours of physical training. Black hair that had been untameable on his father was now cut short, the famed lightning scar clear on his forehead. Green eyes, every bit as green as his mothers, gleamed with inelegance, free from the constrains of glasses as his father's had been. His face was angular and clean shaven.

With his clothing, Harry had seemed to prefer darker, more nondescript coverings. A white button-down shirt lay underneath a breastplate made of…was that black Basilisk hide? Indeed it was and Harry seemed to have a fondness for the rare and powerfully protective scales as he also had gloves, boots and a long coat made of the great snake's skin. A pair of reinforced dark blue jeans, tough enough to provide protection but flexible enough as to not hinder him, covered his legs, held up by a black belt with silver buckle.

His most peculiar accessory however was the cane in his hand. The metre long stick appeared to be made of marble with veins of green running through and fashioned with silver. From the way he walked, Harry didn't require the walking stick so why did he carry it Dumbledore mused.

Pushing those thoughts aside for the moment, Dumbledore swept to his feet, a smile on his wrinkled face. "Ah Harry, it's good to see you alive and well."

Harry nodded to the old man pleasantly. "Headmaster."

Albus gestured towards the seat in front of him. "Please take a seat. Lemon Drop?"

"No." Harry waved his hand. "I'm afraid I'm not really fond of them."

"I hope you had a pleasant journey here?" Dumbledore asked as he lowered himself into his own chair while Filch closed the door, off to prowl the castle once more.

"Taking a Cross-Continental Portkey isn't the most pleasant experience but I'll survive." Harry assured him. "Although I must say I was surprised when Lord Rorken assigned me this mission."

"How so?"

"Well Inquisitors usually choose their own assignments. Being chosen for one by Lord Rorken was surprising but the fact that this mission had to be assigned to _me _specifically was the biggest surprise."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "When I heard that you were alive after all this time, I asked Alessandro to assign you this mission because I felt that you'd be the best person to handle it."

"Why _me_? Why not another Inquisitor who has more years of experience?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore looked slightly uncomfortable. "As the Boy-Who-Lived you are a symbol of hope to the Wizarding public; proof that Voldemort can be defeated. Also if you were to join the battle, knowing what you are, Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be less inclined to fight."

Harry nodded in agreement. "True, but if you remember, the Wizarding community isn't all that comfortable with the Inquisition. They believe that an Inquisitor sniffing around means they'll be taken in for questioning, and never seen again."

"But surely only those that are Dark should fear repercussions from the Inquisition?"

Harry chuckled. "Headmaster, a great man once told me something: "Everyone is Dark, it just depends on how Dark they are". There's a good measure of truth in that statement."

Dumbledore frowned. "That's not a very productive way of thinking, Harry."

"There's another way of putting it: "Everyone is light, just some more than others". One makes you suspect everyone while the other makes you suspect no one. I prefer the first as it helps you survive."

Dumbledore 'hmm-ed' in thought, but didn't pursue it.

"Now how about you fill me in on what has been happening in Britain. You'll have to forgive me, I haven't been keeping up to date with the goings on." Harry started things off, his face becoming a mask of professionalism.

"A year ago, during the Third task of the TriWizard Tournament, the school champion, Cedric Diggory, was transported out of the school grounds by a Portkey made by what later turned out to be an escaped Death Eater. From what we can gather, Voldemort used Cedric in a ritual to regain his body. We believe that Voldemort took Cedric's magical core to stabilise this new body."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I know what ritual you're talking about but if I'm right you need magic, bone and blood from three different sources. Do we know what those sources were?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Voldemort used Cedric's magic, the bone of his Muggle father and…" The old man looked saddened. "…I'm sorry Harry…he used the blood of your Aunt Petunia. She's dead."

Of all the reactions Dumbledore had been expecting, the one Harry gave would have been the last on that list. Instead of a gasp of surprise or outright denial, Harry blinked then clapped his hands together once with a laugh.

"You're joking?" Harry asked in disbelief, a small smile starting to creep onto his lips. He leaned back in his chair, gazing of into space with a small pleasantly surprised look on his face. "I'll be damned, I guess evil really does die." He shook his head to break his thoughts and turned back to a stunned Dumbledore. "I'm sorry Headmaster, you were saying?"

"Harry…are you okay?" He asked, slightly concerned for the boy.

"I'm fine." He said pleasantly. "Perfectly okay. Why?"

"It's just that I've never seen anyone actually _laugh_ after being told that one of their family has died."

Harry snorted. "Please, Headmaster, I'm fine. I won't loose any sleep over that woman's death and to be perfectly honest, the world's a far better place with her gone."

Dumbledore was now even more concerned but decided to set aside that conversation for later. "Well after Voldemort's resurrection I tried unsuccessfully to convince the Minister that Voldemort had indeed returned and that we should begin preparations for war. Cornelius, however, decided that Voldemort simply couldn't be back and so decided not to take action. Over the last year he and the Daily Prophet have been trying to discredit me and convince the Wizarding World that I was going senile. It was only after Voldemort tried unsuccessfully to break into the Department of Mysteries that the truth became known and the Ministry finally acted."

Harry was silent as he digested this information. "What was Riddle looking for in the Department of Mysteries?"

Dumbledore took a deep, contemplative breath and Harry instantly knew he wouldn't be getting the full truth. "I believe he was searching for the reason for his defeat by your hands. Whatever it was, we know he hasn't found it yet."

Harry just stared levelly at Dumbledore for many long minutes and the older man began to squirm under that intense emerald gaze.

"He was looking for the Prophesy, wasn't he?"

Dumbledore chocked on his own breath and began to sputter incoherently. Harry allowed a victorious smirk to grace his features and mentally gave himself a round of applause for catching the great Albus Dumbledore off guard.

Finally Dumbledore managed a few words. "H-How did you…"

"How did I know?" Harry leaned forward and gestured for Dumbledore to do the same. In a stage whisper, Harry said, "You're not the only one with a Seer."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You have a Seer in your employ?"

"No." Harry flopped back in his chair. "The Inquisition does. Quite a few actually but you didn't hear it from me."

"I don't understand Harry, if you already know that you're the only one who can defeat Voldemort then why didn't you come back to Britain sooner?"

"Two reasons. One: I was busy. And two: I don't believe in prophesy."

Dumbledore was incredulous. "Busy? What could have been more important than defeating Voldemort?"

"How about defeating any one of the countless other Dark Lords, Ladies, cults, organisations, fanatics or any other deranged individual that has been terrorizing the Wizarding World?" Harry asked. "My priorities don't just include the Wizarding population of Britain, Dumbledore, I have an obligation to every other nation out there, be it Wizard, Muggle, Goblin, Werewolf, Vampire or otherwise. Plus the fact that I only made Inquisitor status a year ago means that I couldn't drop everything and come running to save your arses even if I wanted to. Now, what has been done to counter the Death Eaters?"

"Harry I feel I need to ask--"

"Dumbledore." Harry warned. "Move on."

The Headmaster sighed. "After it was revealed that Voldemort had indeed returned, the Minister was quick to raise the DMLE budget back to what it had previously been, with a twenty percent increase. He has yet to send out emissaries like I suggested and the Dementors have abandoned Azkaban, freeing the Death Eaters that were imprisoned there. We know that both groups are with Voldemort now. Beyond that there is nothing to add."

Harry rubbed his temples. _'It seems Fudge has made a wonderful mess of things.'_

Dumbledore chose this time to bring up an issue of great importance (To him at least). "Harry, in regards to revealing your identity to the people, I would suggest a public--"

"No." Harry interrupted. "That plan went to hell the second you mentioned the word 'public'. Let people find out whenever, I'm not going to be paraded around like some show dog. I'm sure the world will know after you announce my post as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at the Sorting Feast so leave it till then."

"That's still a few weeks away, people could do with the reassurance that--"

"Don't care."

Dumbledore sighed seeing that Harry wasn't going to let this go. "Alright Harry, well go along with your plan, but I still think mine would be best."

"And I still don't care. Now before I go, there are some things you should know. I need private quarters here with room enough for up to six different people at once. There also may be times when I will have to leave the school at a moment's notice. When this happens you will not try to hinder me, or God forbid, have me followed. Any person tailing me that does not work for me will either end up in St Mungo's or a graveyard. I will also have a number of my staff with me, these people have Inquisitorial clearance and may enter the castle whenever they wish. Make no mistake Dumbledore, I'm an Inquisitor, not a teacher so don't be expecting grade-A teaching skills. My priority is defeating Riddle and the safety of this school."

Harry stood from his chair and stretched, feeling his back crack wonderfully as he did so. Cracking his neck, he looked at Dumbledore. "There are some things I need to do, is there an address where I can find you?"

Dumbledore spoke very clearly. "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London."

Harry felt the location slip into his memories and nodded. "Good. If I need you for anything, I'll find you. Until then, I'll see you at the Sorting." With that, Harry swept out of the room, leaving a slightly dumfounded and winded Dumbledore to his thoughts.

* * *

Harry appeared in Diagon Alley and a second later, a small Glamour Charm was cast upon his scar, hiding it from view. As he walked down the winding street towards the Leaky Cauldron, Harry sighed. This would most likely be one of the last times when he could walk around this country looking like himself without getting mobbed. '_I'm so not looking forward to seeing the tabloids when they hear about me.'_

Breaking from his thoughts, Harry gave a distracted wave to the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron and the bricks moved aside to allow him passage into the tavern.

Pushing past the other patrons, Harry strode over to the bar and waved to get the owner's attention. "I'm looking for Mr Fewester's room." Ariticus Fewester was one of his common aliases; the name belonging to a fictional potion supplier from Manchester.

The barman, Tom as Harry would later find out, looked over the register and tapped the correct name. "Here we are. Fewester, room 143."

"Cheers." With that, Harry made his way to the correct room and tapped the door softly. He felt someone's magical signature on the other side of the door in a second.

"Who is it?"

"Your fairy godmother." Harry called back sarcastically. The door opened a crack, and one violet eye stared back at him before the door was opened fully.

Harry was greeted by a vision of pure erotic beauty. A woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties with skin as fine and as pale as porcelain stood before him. Luscious black hair fell in a cascade over her exposed shoulders and neck, tumbling down her back. Her rather well endowed frame was clad in a corset made of black dragon hide. A white band of well toned stomach was exposed before her curvaceous hips disappeared into a pair of tight but flexible black leather pants from which her long legs dipped into a pair of heeled dragon hide boots.

She placed one hand on her hip, the other resting against the door. Unintentionally or intentionally, she created quite an inviting sight. "You took your time." She commented in a voice as smooth as silk.

Harry snorted and walked past her, into the room. "You should try living up to your name, _Patience_." He said as he flopped down onto the bed.

She closed the door with a flick and strolled over to the bed with an easy gait. Folding her slender arms over her pronounced chest, she replied, "I have patience but you know I get fidgety during the day, when I haven't had any blood _and _when the full moon is near so give me a break."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Vampires. So much drama."

Patience Keys was Harry's first ever addition to his staff. Or rather, she _was _his staff for a time. Barely a month after getting his rosette, Harry was tracking down a Potions Master in France had been trying to off the French Minister and his family for quite some time. The man was a mediocre dueller at best but had in his employ a small coven of Vampires from Italy to protect him from anyone trying to claim the substantial bounty on his head. When Harry had tracked the group down to an abandoned Cathedral on the outskirts of the city, he had in mind a cunning plan to coral the group, separate the Potions Master from his Vampire guards and swiftly kill or capture them all. The plan was foolproof.

Then Patience happened.

Just as he had been about to set off his meticulously thought out plan, the _entire_ wall across from where he was hiding caved in, crushing a number of Vampires beneath the heavy stonework. Out of the smoke Patience leapt, claws slashing and teeth gleaming. She basically danced around the other Vampires, her attacks reducing them to smouldering piles of ash. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the Potions Master making a run for it and took off after him, cornering the Wizard in the top of the Cathedral spire. Just as he'd been about to execute the man, a bloody Patience came out of no where and threw Harry across the room. She had grabbed the Potions Master by the throat and had been about to sink her teeth into him when a rather strong Banishing Charm from Harry sent her tumbling arse over tit. From there it degenerated to nothing more than an all out brawl. It only stopped when they both noticed something fly past them and out the window.

That little bastard of a Potions Master had been a moth Animagus. That hadn't been in the reports.

When the little moth disappeared, Patience swore up a storm, putting her fist through the wall more than once. With a glare that could have frozen flames, Patience warned Harry that if he interfered again she'd kill him. After that, she vanished, leaving a bruised and more than slightly miffed Inquisitor to limp back to his hotel room. That was the pattern for the next week. They would end up finding out where the Potions Master was hiding and through some cosmic joke, the two _always _showed up at the same time. It was during the ensuing fights between the Inquisitor and the Vampire that Harry learned the Story of Patience Keys. It seemed that the potion that their target was trying to kill the French Minister's family with was made from ingredients rendered down from a certain magical creature: Vampire. To be specific; the ingredients the man was using were taken directs from Patience's sister and mother. She had been hunting him for years and now that she found him, she wasn't going to let some _child _take away her vengeance.

They would have argued more on the issue of who got to kill the Potions Master if it wasn't for one thing. It seemed that the target didn't just hire Vampires from a family. He had hired the _entire_ family. Suddenly being surrounded by a horde of ravenous Vampires was more important than arguing over who got to kill who (Especially to Harry, considering he was the one with warm blood pumping through his veins). After almost an hour of brutal fighting, it was a very bloody and battered pair that lay on the floor of the Potions Master's latest hideout, the glowing ashes of the dead Vampire family laying around them. The whimpering little toad they had been fighting over lay a few feet away, crying as he tried desperately to break the Full-Body Bind he was under. Too tired to do any more fighting, Harry just waved Patience towards the man, not even able to speak as he gulped down much needed air.

The man's death was decidedly short and _very _bloody.

After that, the two just sort of fell in together. Harry never offered her a job and she didn't ask for one but that's what happened. He didn't even remember when she moved into the Ocean House or when he got her Inquisitorial clearance. It just happened. For the past year the two had been living and working together comfortably. It was an odd relationship to be sure.

Harry shifted his legs to allow her space to sit on the bed. "Where's Bruce?"

"Gone to get some food, said he was hungry. So what's the plan?"

"Well I need to make a visit to Gringotts sometime, see about my parent's Will. I'll probably do that after the announcement in case it gets leaked that a boy who looked like James Potter came in asking about the Potter family vaults. I also need to set up a place for us to live before we go to Hogwarts. We may not need it but it'll be a good place to have as a fallback."

"What did Dumbledore say?" She asked as she rolled onto her stomach to see Harry's face better.

"Nothing much. Baldymort's back, the Ministry wasted a whole year trying to bury their heads in the sand and now they're struggling to set up any sort of defence against Death Eater attacks plus they've lost the Dementors to him already." He sighed. "That idiot Fudge really has made a mess of the whole thing. I'll need to pay a visit to the Ministry as well."

"What are you going to say?"

"The truth. That the Inquisition is taking over the leadership in this war and that Fudge's administration had better not fuck up by trying to save their own careers instead of doing their jobs. I'd oust the little tosspot from office but I think that could cause more problems than it would solve. I'll leave him be for now but give him a warning."

Patience let her chin rest on her crossed arms. "Sounds good. How about you deal with the Ministry and me and Bruce will go house hunting? We'll even get the basic Ward package so you can add all your own little surprises."

Harry smiled down at her. "Why are you so good to me?"

"You pay me a shit load of money, let me live at that resort you call a home for free and I can go on as many missions as I want without any governments trying to drive a stake through my heart." She replied with a coy smirk.

"Plus you buy us some truelly sweet weapons."

They both turned to see the final member of their little team walk in the door, bags of take-away in both hands as he kicked the door closed with his foot.

Bruce Hornton was a large man. A very large man. Large as in 'Yetis could have been his ancestors' large. His well muscled frame was fit into a snug black T-shirt and a pair of dark jeans, a pair of heavy boots covering his feet. His hair was shaved short and his face and head were covered in scars.

The story of how Bruce came to join Harry's staff wasn't as exciting as Patience's. Basically, Harry needed a gunman and Bruce was recommended by one of his friends from his days as Alizabeth's Interrogator. Bruce had all the makings of a veteran soldier, except he had never been in the army. Most of what he knew of handling a gun came for screwing around with his dad's rifle collection as a kid. There had only been one thing that could have been an issue.

Bruce was a Muggle.

Harry didn't care, neither did Patience but it could have been a problem with any magical government. Luckily Harry wasn't one to cower to another's ideals. He accepted Bruce after a short but productive display of his skills and had never regretted it since. He just had to work a little to make it possible for Bruce to pass through all those Muggle repelling Wards and presto! Instant gun totting maniac at your service. Harry and Patience both owed their lives to Bruce's sharp eye many times over.

"Good one, Lurch." Harry said as he tucked into his fish and chips.

"Think nothing of it, Shrimp." Harry wasn't short but everyone was a midget compared to Bruce. "So what's the plan?"

"You and Patience get to do some house hunting while I go boss around the Minister for Magic."

Bruce snorted. "Gee, can't wait. Maybe I'll get lucky and there will be a angry Gnome looking for a fight."

"Oh shut up, it's not like sitting in a meeting with the Minister will be any better." Patience told him as she stole some of his kebab.

"You never know, there could be an assassination attempt during the meeting and where will we be? Stuck going round some old dear's house in Orkney."

"Keep that positive thinking coming." Harry snorted.

* * *

The next day, Harry decided to visit the 'esteemed and noble' Cornelius Fudge at his office. Patience and Bruce were off looking for their new home and Harry had made sure to warn Bruce to only take weapons he could hide.

Both Harry and Patience had smacked him for trying to stash a twelve-gauge shotgun down the side of his jeans.

Now he was standing comfortably in the lift taking him to the DMLE. As was only natural for the leader of a country, the Minister's office was located at the back of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, opposite the lifts.

When the ding sounded and the usual calm voice warbled from the speaker announcing the floor number, Harry stepped out and strode towards Fudge's office with purpose. He glanced around at all the Aurors running around, noticing small green skulls floating above maps tacked to the walls. It was probably a list of all the homes the Death Eaters had visited so far, Harry guessed. After casually swerving to avoid a rather haggard looking Witch carrying a growling crystal ball like it was a bomb ready to go off, Harry soon found himself standing before the office doors of the Minister for Magic.

Or rather, standing before the Aurors standing before the office doors of the Minister for Magic.

"Good morning, lads. Mind if I go in?" Harry said pleasantly.

The head Auror scoffed and looked down his nose at the boy. "Beat it, kid, the Minister's got no time to waste with you."

Harry tilted his head to the side, not offended in the least. "I really need to see him _now._ If you step aside it'd be much appreciated."

The Auror was clearly getting annoyed. "Sod off, brat! I said you're not going in and that's that."

Harry shrugged. "Fine but maybe this will change your mind." He reached into his coat and the Auror's immediately tensed, their hands reaching for their wands. Harry only smirked and withdrew what he was looking for.

His rosette dangled from it's chain which Harry held tightly in his hand. The Aurors immediately recognised the symbol from their days in the academy and paled significantly. All except the head Auror who laughed uproariously, gaining the attention of quite a few passing Aurors who were watching the confrontation.

The head Auror finally managed to get his humour under control and stared at the raven haired teen incredulously. "You think I'll fall for that, kid? An Inquisitor at your age? Ha, that's a laugh, I bet you stole it from a real Inquisitor." He grinned viciously. "Do you know what the punishment for that is? No? Well, let me tell you: they take you away from your family and lock you away in a little cage for the rest of your miserable life." He slowly drew his wand and stepped towards Harry menacingly. Harry's pleasant smile never left his face. The Auror held out his hand towards Harry. "Give me that and I might let you go with a warning. You don't want the Inquisition to hear of this and lock you away do you?"

Harry shook his head, smile still in place. "That won't happen."

The Auror sneered and raised…his empty hand? He gasped when he felt a heat lightly burning his chest and looked down to see the boy's pointer and forefingers of his right hand millimetres from his skin, a dangerous green light pulsating from the end. The Auror's pulse quickened and sweat began to pour down his face. He'd seen that green light before.

Harry, smile still in place, spoke with a voice that was both casual and yet dangerous. "That won't happen because we don't imprison someone for stealing a rosette." The boy's eyes seemed to glow and the air became a heavy weight that pressed down on the other Aurors, preventing them from helping out their comrade. Harry leaned close to the frozen Auror before him and spoke in an eerie whisper, "If someone steals an Inquisitor's rosette or worse, tries to use it, the punishment…is…_death._"

Harry cocked his head to the side. "You seem to know a bit about Inquisitors, even if that information is a little off. Tell me, do you know what the Inquisition's policy is on the use of the three Unforgivables? No? Then let me tell you: there is no policy. An Inquisitor can use any of the Unforgivables at _any time_, on _anyone_." The teens voice chilled those around him.

The heat from the pulsating Killing Curse at the end of the boy's fingers was blistering the Auror's skin but instead of scorching warmth, there was only chilling cold. The touch of death and it was only a hair's breadth from the man's chest.

Harry leaned back a bit to give the Auror some space but his hand never moved. "Now, are you going to let me in?"

The Auror nodded shakily.

"And you won't give me any more trouble?"

The Auror shook his head frantically.

"And if I come here again will you cause me any trouble?"

The Auror was practically in tears as he shook his head again.

"Good." Harry withdrew his hand as the green light faded away and the oppressive force holding the Aurors hostage lifted, leaving them sweating and panting. The head Auror Harry had been speaking to fell to the ground in a shivering mass of flesh. Harry looked at the man in concern and turned to the other guards who flinched away from the boy's gaze even though his pleasant mask never faltered once. "You should probably take him for a drink or something to settle his nerves, perhaps take him home all together." He suggested. The Aurors nodded fearfully and hauled the man to his feet before dragging him away between the cubicles, drawing many confused stares.

Harry noticed the other Aurors who had stopped to watch the confrontation were looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. "What?" Harry asked innocently. The Aurors just backed away slowly, going back to what they were doing and trying to erase the last few minutes from their minds. Hurry just shrugged and turned back to the now guard-less doors.

"Here we go." He said to himself and with a wide smile on his face, Harry threw open the doors to the office of the Minister for Magic and announced his presence to the packed office.

"Heeellllooooo Minister!"

* * *

**A/N: There we go, another chapter. Give a review and tell me what you think or just to give a suggestion.**

**PAIRING**

**Thinking on it I have come to realise that neither Ginny or Hermione would be suitable for Harry in this story but despite this they will still play a large part in this. I have decided that the pairing will be either HarryXTonks (Or Honks), HarryXOC (Either Patience or another one) or one of the other older girls. May hold a poll.**

**CHAPTER LENGTH**

**Short, yes, but considering I wrote this all in one day I felt it was good enough to post. The future chapters will be longer (most likely after the next chapter as it would be like a Chapter 2 Part 2 or I'll just make it one long chapter.).**

**HARRY'S ALIGNMENT**

**He's grey. He may use dark spells and the such but he has light goals.**

**INQUISITION**

**You don't need to know of the Games Workshop's Inquisition to understand this story as I'll explain everything as it comes up. If you don't understand something feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability.**

**GRIMMAULD PLACE SURPRISE**

**I know I promised it but I wasn't happy with the first draft of this chapter. It will either come up before Hogwarts starts or during it.**

**I'd also just like to point out how Harry doesn't take any shit from Dumbles. Old Albus is at a disadvantage in this fic because despite his many titles, the Inquisition is in charge so technically…Dumbledore answers to Harry, not the other way around. Harry has the power and not that lemon sucker, isn't that fun?**

**READ, ENJOY AND REVIEW!!!**


	3. Meet and Greet

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

* * *

"Heeellllooooo Minister!"

The shout rang throughout the office, silencing the large group of Department Heads who had been arguing non-stop all morning. Every head in the room swivelled towards the door where they saw, of all things, a teenager standing there with his hands on his hips, a wide smile on his face. The teen's short, spiky hair was a deep chestnut and his eyes a cold grey.

Harry just stood there, his large smile taking up most of his face as he watched the Head's faces turn from surprised, to confused, to bemused and then to slightly annoyed.

Cornelius Fudge however bypassed the middle two completely and went straight to a blustering rage. Jumping out of his chair, the small man slammed his hands on the table in what he must have thought was a threatening manner, his face turning a rather fetching shade of puce. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET IN!? WHERE ARE MY AURORS!?"

Harry didn't seem perturbed by the outburst and strolled casually into the office. "Okay, first: Don't shout, it's rude. Second: Clear this room out. You and I need to have words."

Fudge blinked at the boy in front of him before his face became a mask of anger again, causing Harry to sigh in annoyance.

"I don't know who you think you are, boy, but you can't simply waltz in here and order _me_ around! I'm the Minister for Magic, I demand respect!"

Harry rolled his eyes and simply held up his hand, his rosette still on display for all to see. Deep down, Harry always loved it when things like this happened. Pompous, self glorifying politicians trying to throw their weight around only to pale in horror as they realise they may have just pissed off a person who could legally kill them for simply taking the last chocolate donut from the break room or something.

Harry made sure every eye in the room could see the small 'I' shaped pendant in his hand, the light bouncing malevolently off the silver skull on the front of the blood coloured stone. Harry made eye contact with each person in the room, his cheerful façade stripped away and in it's place was the cold, unforgiving face of an Inquisitor.

When Harry spoke, he made sure his voice carried the full weight of his authority. "I am an Inquisitor of the Holy Order of the Inquisition and I am here to find out why this Ministry failed to prevent the civil war now engulfing it's country and, if possible, to rectify your mistakes." Harry tucked his rosette back into his coat pocket. "Now, if you don't mind, would you all get out so I can speak with Minister Fudge." It wasn't a request.

The gathered Department Heads basically threw themselves at the door, not wanting any Inquisitorial eyes to fall on them. The room was nearly clear when Harry held out an arm, stopping a middle-aged, redheaded Witch with a monocle.

"Madam Bones, I presume?" Harry asked cordially.

The Head of the DMLE nodded somewhat hesitantly but her voice was strong. "Yes, Inquisitor?"

"Please stay. I believe that we'll need your expertise in many matters." Harry said. This time it was a request.

Madam Bones blinked in surprise but nodded and retook her seat in front of a very nervous Minister's desk. Harry waited until the last Witch shuffled out of the room before he closed the doors and began applying the standard privacy spells, plus a few of his own. No one would hear this meeting.

As Harry worked, a very frazzled looking Cornelius tried to break the silence. "I-I-If I may ask, Inquisitor, w-why are you here?"

"Have you gone deaf or do you simply not listen?" Came Harry's cold reply, making the Minister flinch as if struck. "On second thought, don't answer that. It's become painfully clear you don't listen."

"I-I d-don't understand." The Minister stammered, becoming more nervous by the second.

"Oh?" Harry asked as he looked over his shoulder at the Minister, his finders continuing to move in intricate patterns as the Wards were raised. "Then do you mean to tell me that you _didn't _waste a whole year of planning against Riddle? You're saying that you _didn't _dismiss Albus Dumbledore's claims that Riddle had regained a body and that he was marshalling his army? Are you saying that you _didn't _ignore what the evidence was telling you and that you _didn't _simply bury your head in the sand and believe that Riddle couldn't be back simply because you didn't want him to be? ARE YOU SAYING YOU'RE _NOT_ LOSING THIS WAR!?" Harry's voice got progressively louder as he went on, the privacy Wards going up faster and faster until Harry spun around and pinned Fudge to his chair with an icy glare. The small man was sweating buckets now, his eyes darting about wildly as if to look for an escape, his lime green bowler hat a blur as he twirled it in his hands.

Harry took a calming breath as he lowered himself into one of the empty chairs in front of Fudge's desk beside Madam Bones who sat there, half pleased that Fudge was finally getting the proverbial kick in the arse he needed and half terrified that she was next.

Now calm, Harry leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest and legs crossed as his cane was propped up against the armrest. "Now, tell me why you disregarded Albus Dumbledore's warnings over the return of Riddle."

"T-There was never any s-solid proof and--"

"There was plenty of solid proof. The Cup being turned into a Portkey was proof. Cedric Diggory's death was proof. The bloody Death Eater who confessed to the entire thing was proof." Harry's eyes suddenly narrowed and Fudge immediately knew he wouldn't like the next question. "What happened to that Death Eater anyway? If he was given a trial then all of this would have been out in the open long ago."

Fudge was about ready to have a stroke right about now. "W-W-W-Well t-t-the thing is-s--"

"Fudge, what monumentally stupid thing have you done now and what can be done to fix it?" Harry growled.

The poor man looked like he'd like nothing more than for his chair to swallow him alive. "H-He was given the D-Dementor's Kiss."

Harry took a deep breath. _'Stay calm. Don't kill him…yet.' _"And what information did your Aurors gain from him before he was administered the Kiss?"

"T-T-That-t-t-t erm w-well--"

"Fudge, stop blubbering and tell me!"

"There were no Aurors."

Both Harry and Cornelius turned to Madam Bones, the former's face taking on a look of confusion and the latter's taking a more pleading one.

"What do you mean there were no Aurors?" Harry asked slowly.

Fudge tried to interject but Amelia spoke over him. "I mean, Barty Crouch Jr was Kissed barely two hours after he was captured. No investigation, no interrogation, no statements, no nothing. The Minister took a Dementor to the school and had it perform the Kiss as soon as it saw Crouch. He believed that the man was delusional and that he had been lying. He had the case closed after that."

Harry sat there stunned at the sheer, utter and complete depth of the stupidity of the man before him. _'Kill him. We'll just make Bruce the new Minister or something.' _Harry took a deep breath and clasped his hands in front of him just to stop himself reaching across the desk and choke the fool with his own hat.

After several long, tense minutes, Harry spoke but did not look up from the floor. "Fudge you are, without a doubt, a supreme, certified, Grade-A imbecile. Your actions as a leader have dragged this country into another war simply because you were to afraid to step up and do the job you were elected to do. No more. You will follow my instructions from now on and just maybe we can come out of this war with minimal bloodshed but after this is over, you're done. You will never hold a position in government again and believe me when I say there _will_ be an investigation into your actions to see if you'll be sent to prison. Some of your actions are highly suspicious and do not put you in a good light."

The portly Minister was quaking in his seat as he shakily nodded. He felt like crying. All his hopes and dreams were now circling the drain and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Now onto Madam Bones." Harry said as he turned to the woman in question.

"Yes, Inquisitor?" She asked somewhat hesitantly which drew a calming smile from the teen.

"Don't be afraid, Madam. I've not kept you here to give you a grilling like with the Minister. From what I hear, you actually _do_ your job and do it well if the stories are to be believed."

Amelia couldn't help but sit a little straighter hearing that and she smiled back. "Thank you, Inquisitor."

"Now I believe you've been trying to marshal some sort of defence against the Death Eater. Could you fill me in as to what some of those are?"

"Well, our biggest problem right now is Azkaban. With the Dementors gone, we have no way to police the prison and now that they have joined You-Know-Who--"

Harry cut her off. "Please don't call him that, you're just stroking his ego. Call him Voldemort, or just plain, old Riddle if you want to annoy him."

"Riddle?" Amelia asked, confused.

"It's his real name. Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. 'Voldemort' is just an anagram of his name." He snorted. "If he knew French, he would realise that it shows he's a coward."

"Okay…_Riddle_ will now know all of Azkaban's secrets; some that not even the Ministry is aware of."

Harry thought about it. "I'll see what I can requisition from the Inquisition. If that fails I can always call in some favours and get some other creatures to guard it. Bear in mind that option may cost you a hefty sum."

"It would be appreciated." Amelia said gratefully. "Another thing is the Werewolves, Vampires, Giants and other magical races Riddle is trying to get to join him. I have wanted to send emissaries for a while now but they won't listen to us unless the Ministry loosens it tight restrictions on them."

"Absolutely not." Fudge butted in, having regained some of his composition after the tongue lashing he received. "Those laws are there for the protection of…" He trailed off as Harry turned to him with a dangerously arched brow.

"What those so-called laws are doing is driving any potential allies straight into Riddle's camp. I don't know many of the members of these races in Britain but I do know that most are not evil. Most just want to live their lives in peace and the current administration is preventing that. They're going to end up thinking that the only way to be fairly represented is by joining Riddle's cause. It won't be for blood, or violence, or money, or any of that, it will be so that they can finally get out from under the Ministry's oppression and by the time they realise that Riddle's promises are hollow, it'll be too late." He leaned forward in his chair slightly. "I can easily force these laws through but I won't because even though it will help during the war, the other races will think that the second I'm gone, everything will revert back to how it was before and I'm inclined to agree with them. I prefer to work with a government, not have it work for me but that's what'll happen if you don't start shaping up."

Fudge sighed in defeat. "I'll see what I can do." He said weakly. "The Wizarding population is not going to like this."

"They aren't the only people the Ministry is supposed to be watching out for. There are more people in this country than just the Wizards." He turned back to Madam Bones, his face softening somewhat. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. There is a substantial block on what Aurors can and can't do in a fight. When confronted by Death Eaters, the only thing of use that they are allowed to use is a Stunning spell which can easily be blocked. Needless to say, my Aurors aren't up to fighting someone using the Unforgivables."

Harry tapped his chin in thought. "Send me lists of what spells they _are _allowed to use, how many people can use each spell and what spells you think they should learn, be they restricted or not. Let's hold off on allowing them use of the Unforgivables like in the last war but if things come down to it, I'd much rather have a lot of dead Death Eaters than a lot of dead Aurors."

Amelia nodded. "I agree. I'll draw up the list as soon as I can and have it sent to you. Just out of curiosity, where are you living?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm somewhat between homes at the moment but you can find me at Hogwarts after the term starts."

"Hogwarts?" Amelia and Fudge were surprised at this. "Why would you be at the school?"

Harry shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He hated telling people this, he always felt so embarrassed. "Dumbledore has pleaded to my superior that I be placed at Hogwarts to defend it from attack and teach the students to defend themselves while I work to end Riddle. I'm afraid that once that happens, any private meetings would have to be either here, at Hogwarts or at a similar location as I believe my appearance could cause…a commotion."

Now they were even more confused. It was Amelia who spoke. "I know that the appearance of an Inquisitor would cause some kind of a stir but the way you're acting would suggest there would be a stampede of some kind."

Harry sighed and allowed the Glamour that he had thrown up when he opened the office door to fall, revealing his true face, scar and all.

To say Amelia and the Minister were surprised would be a severe understatement. Between Amelia knowing James Potter's face from his days as an Auror and Fudge having read the files on the Potter parents (And of course the scar), they quickly realised who it was sitting in front of them.

"H-Harry?" Amelia gasped, her eyes wide. "Y-You're Harry Potter, aren't you."

"As sharp as ever, Amelia." Harry said playfully.

"B-But you're dead!" Fudge stuttered, one hand pointing shakily towards the last Potter.

Harry looked down at himself. "Am I? Shite, now I won't qualify for the Inquisition's company health plan. I really wanted that free pen, too."

"We thought you were gone!" Amelia exclaimed. "Dumbledore said you'd vanished and the search parties had turned up nothing!"

"I'd have been very surprised if they did. I was taken in by the Inquisition."

"All this time and you were alive." Fudge muttered in disbelief. It was then an idea popped into his head. "We should set up a press con--"

"No."

The Minister blinked and looked at the suddenly stern Inquisitor. "Harry?"

"No press conferences or anything else that will reveal me to the public. They'll find out when the Headmaster reveals my position as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at the Sorting Feast. They _will not_ know about me until then." Harry wasn't joking with this.

"But Harry--" Fudge began imploringly.

Harry raised a hand, instantly shutting him up. "First of all, I never gave you leave to call me by my first name. You'll address me as Inquisitor Potter or just Inquisitor. Second of all, I wasn't making a suggestion, Fudge, I was giving an order. Go against it at your own peril. Outside of the Inquisition and my staff, only three people know about me being in the country so if my name appears in the paper, I'll have a very short list of suspects to go through. Understand?"

"O-Of course, Inquisitor Potter."

"Good." Harry stood from his chair, his hand grasping his cane as he did so. The Glamour made it's way onto his face once more and he turned to leave, the Wards around the room falling with a few twitches of his fingers. "If anything comes up, I'll contact you. If you need to see me and it's urgent, leave a letter for Articus Fewester at the bar in the Leaky Cauldron. I'll be over as soon as I receive it." With that, he pulled open the door and swept out of the office.

"I should be returning to my office now, Minister." Amelia said as she too got to her feet. The Minister didn't even reply as he nervously fidgeted with his hat, too preoccupied with worrying over what the Inquisitor would do to him and his administration. As she left the office, Amelia couldn't help but smirk.

Maybe they'd finally have a chance in this war.

* * *

The last week and a half of the summer went by without a hitch.

After a little searching, Patience and Bruce found somewhere for them to live. Their latest abode was an old warehouse on the outskirts of Glasgow. It was rather large, with three floors empty save for a few of the larger machines from the previous owner and a few offices. Since they bought the lease from a Muggle there was no Ward package to go along with it, much to Harry's joy. When he arrived to check the place out, he took one look around before going outside and raising all manner of Wards around the property, an evil grin on his face. As an Inquisitor, Harry was used to living in less than desirable conditions, so the matter of making the place habitable was a rather simple affair, one which Patience had taken up with much help from Harry. She had him cast a few powerful _Scourgify _spells on the areas they had chosen as sleeping spaces with a few small spells to ward off insects and vermin after Conjuring a comfy bed, a few sheets and casting a few Wards on the area to keep out the cold. Since coming under Harry's employ, he had taught her quite afwe things, one of which happened to be Runes. She wasn't a master at them by a long shot but she could get by and as such she was left on her own after having Harry Conjure a few metal pipes. Some careful carving and some assembly later and they had themselves a working shower complete with hot water. After all this was done it was a simple matter of cleaning the place up so they wouldn't catch anything. If they needed to, they could always add more along the way.

There had been no word from the Ministry, other than Amelia leaving the list of spells at the Leaky Cauldron. Looking over it, Harry's suspicions were confirmed. The Aurors were more than capable of taking down a dangerous Wizard on the streets. They were _not_ capable of fighting a war. He had jotted down a few suggestions for usable spells off the top of his head but decided to set aside time to make a full list later. The war was still in the beginning stages and had yet to heat up so he had time.

When September 1st rolled around, the trio were ready to depart for Hogwarts.

Since Harry needed to meet with the staff, they decided to just Apparate to the school boundaries and wait for the train there. Harry also wanted Patience and Bruce to make a sweep of the grounds before the students arrived so the plan was settled.

Now Harry and Bruce found themselves standing before Patience's calculating eye, feeling very much like two kids who were about to head off to school (Which, in a way, they were).

"Remind me why we're standing here?" Harry grumbled as Patience's eyes swept up and down him, her head tilted to the side slightly.

"Because," She said as she swept an imaginary ball of dust off his shoulder. "We're going to be presenting ourselves to the Wizarding world and we need to dress accordingly."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Geez, what is it with women and clothes? What does it matter what we wear?"

She glared at him lightly but he wasn't fazed. He'd been on the receiving end of her glares long enough to have built up an immunity to them. "It matter because we need to show these people that we are not some silly school teachers or hired security. We're agents of the Inquisition and we demand a certain level of respect and, I'm sorry to say this Harry, but you'll need all the help you can get."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked. Harry remained silent. He knew what she was talking about.

Patience sighed as she straightened Bruce's collar. "Well, Harry would be Sixth year if he was a civilian. He'll be the same age as a lot of these kids and even younger than some of them. Even if Dumbledore told them he's a member of the Inquisition _and _a teacher, they still wouldn't respect him much because of his age."

Realisation dawned on Bruce's face and Harry's darkened. His age had always been a subject of debate and ridicule, both inside the Inquisition and out. Other Inquisitors often expressed doubt regarding his skill as an Inquisitor and many often mocked him or ridiculed him. They never did it to his face as they'd all heard stories of his strength but that didn't stop it from happening. There were rumours that he'd only made Inquisitor status because of Alizabeth's connections. They disregarded his performance in the Schola as luck and cheating, too blinded by their own jealousy to see clearly. He had to do twice the work for half the respect. _'Stupid bastards.'_ Harry thought bitterly. _'I earned my rosette, damn it. Sure, Alizabeth taught me a few things but no more than any other Interrogator. I put in all the hard work and what do I get for it? A few petty wankers whispering behind my back!'_

Patience saw the boy's fist clench and sighed slightly. His age had always been a sore spot with Harry. It really wasn't fair. He was one of the best to come out of the Schola, yet he had to fight tooth and nail for every bit of respect. It seemed the title of protégé was more of a curse than a gift.

Reaching over, she straightened the front of his coat, diverting his attention from his gloomy thoughts, and stood back to admire her work, a smirk gracing her beautiful face. "Now you look more like an Inquisitor."

Harry glanced over at the large mirror on the wall and had to admit that Patience knew her stuff.

Freshly shaven and with a new haircut, Harry cut quite the handsome figure. His clothes were similar to what he always wore but with a few differences. Over his freshly pressed, white button-down shirt was his newly polished black Basilisk hide armour. His Inquisitorial rosette hung from it's chain, it's weight resting comfortably over the breastplate. His regular denims encased his legs with a newer pair of armoured boots covering his feet. These were dark brown with a pair of goblin wrought dark metal plates protecting the tops of his feet. Over his breastplate, he wore his finest high-collared Basilisk hide trench coat, the black hide seeming to absorb the light and the smoky red lining giving it a regal look. His hands were left un-gloved, revealing the distinct 'I' shaped Inquisitorial ring on his right ring finger, his cane clutched in his left hand.

While Patience had decided it best for Harry to appear in all his Inquisitorial glory, she wanted Bruce's clothes to show what he was: a true soldier.

The large Muggle was clad in a black coverall, the material thick enough to provide some protection. Over this he wore a full suit of Dragon hide armour; a gift from Harry. The tough leather-like armour was a dark red, the colour of blood. The hide was from a fully mature Spanish Sawback Dragon; a breed known for it's strong but flexible scales. The armour included not only a breastplate but also knee, shin and thigh guards as well as shoulder, bicep, forearm and a backplate. His heavy combat boots were tucked under his shin armour and the breastplate was embossed with the shining, golden 'I' symbol of the Inquisition.

Deciding to forgo any extravagant coat, Bruce was allowed free reign over what weapons he could show off.

He was thrilled.

Deciding to go for shock value, he had procured himself a _very _nice M4 Assault Rifle decked out with all the goodies: scope, grip, silence, you name it. On either thigh he had strapped a pair of Scorpion submachine guns. A large combat knife was strapped to the back of his belt, completing his look.

Patience on the other hand had decided that she looked intimidating enough with her leather pants and black Dragon hide bodice and boots. The only things she added were a black belt with a grinning silver skull for a buckle and a rather 'swashbuckling' looking black trench coat, snug enough in all the right places to accentuate her figure (Not that it needed it mind you).

She looked at Bruce and nodded her approval. However when she looked at Harry, her violet eyes narrowed, causing him to tense.

"What?" He asked somewhat hesitantly. If she demanded that he go and try on something else, he was making a break for it.

"I don't know. It's missing…something." She looked thoughtful for a minute before her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers before rushing off into Harry's room.

The young Inquisitor looked at his gunman and the two shrugged at her strange behaviour, listing it as another one of the many mysteries of women.

After a few seconds, she emerged again with something clutched in her hands. Harry hadn't been able to catch a look at it before Patience's arms encircled his waist under the coat and a weight settled against his thigh. When she stepped away, he could see what it was and a smile graced his features.

It was a Desert Eagle .50. The weapon was made of mostly chrome with a few darker metals thrown in, the overall effect rather striking. Only the closest observation would allow you to see the runes etched into the metal surface where not a single imperfection was found. The sidearm had been a gift from his days as an Interrogator. Harlon Nayl, Alizabeth's version of Bruce (Who had also been the one to reccomend the large Muggle to Harry), had presented the weapon to Harry at his going away party when he made Inquisitor. The weapon fanatic had made the entire thing from scratch, making sure that the weapon was perfect in every way as to better protect it's owner. The sentiment behind the gift was truly appreciated.

Normally Harry wasn't one for guns but he'd often make an exception for pistols, shotguns or single shot rifles. He got by with his magic perfectly well but sometimes it was worth it for the shock value you could only get when a crazy teenage boy suddenly waltzes in, firing off some noisy Muggle contraption. The Inquisition wasn't stupid enough to write something off just because it was used by Muggles. If it helped an assignment go smoothly, they were all for it.

Patience looked over him with a smile of satisfaction. "_Now _you're ready."

"Thanks mum." The two chorused and chuckled when she shook her head with a sigh.

Making sure they had everything, the three trooped outside to just outside of the Wards. Harry glanced back at the hideout one last time before turning to his two employees. "Let's go."

In an instant, he disappeared from the outskirts of Glasgow and reappeared at the main gates of Hogwarts. A second later, a mass of nearby shadows seemed to warp before Patience emerged, dragging Bruce behind her.

"You got your Limiter on?" Harry asked the large Londoner.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "I've_ always_ got it on. If I hadn't, the Wards back at the hideout would have driven me off."

Harry shrugged. "Just making sure." A lazy grin made it's way onto his face and he flicked his cane up and caught it in midair before setting off towards the castle. "Let's go and meet my new co-workers, shall we?"

As they walked through the gates and up the path that would take them to the castle, the trio's eyes scanned the grounds, taking in every little detail. As he walked, Harry frowned. The grounds were larger than he'd anticipated, meaning it'd take longer to search and map. That meant more work for Bruce and Patience. Harry grinned. He loved being the boss.

They mounted the steps and walked through the large double doors, which were already open in anticipation of the student's arrival. When Harry saw that there was no one to greet him (Not surprising considering he hadn't contacted Dumbledore since they last met), Harry walked towards the open doors to the Great Hall where the same haggard man who'd led him to Dumbledore's office the first time was busy sweeping the floor.

Harry cleared his throat to get his attention.

The man started and turned to glare at the newcomers suspiciously. "What do you want?" He asked warily.

Harry raised a brow. "I was here not two weeks ago. You're telling me that even with no one other than the teachers here, you forget me so quickly?"

The man sneered. "Is there a reason I should remember you?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe because I'm going to be teaching here. Or maybe because of this." He tapped the rosette on his chest and watched as the man's eyes bulged.

"W-What can I do for you, Inquisitor?" The man stuttered nervously.

"Can you take us to where the Headmaster and the teachers are having the start of term meeting?" Harry requested pleasantly in an attempt to settle the man's nerves.

He seemed to have some success as the man calmed somewhat but was still on edge. Filch set aside his broom and led the three soldiers through the castle.

* * *

"…and that settles the matter of the new prefect schedules." Dumbledore said as he set the now finished scroll to one side. He was about to reach for another one when a sound that had been grating on everyone's nerves for the past year caught their attention.

"_Hem, hem._"

Several people groaned as Dumbledore turned towards a squat Witch wearing a garish pink cardigan, a polka dot bow arraigned on her head giving her the unfortunate appearance of a large toad with a juicy fly perched on it's head. "Yes, Dolores?" Albus asked, showing no signs of irritation.

The small woman plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she spoke. "Headmaster, I was just wondering about the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It seems that you haven't been able to acquire a new candidate for the post and as such, as Hogwarts' High Inquisitor, I--"

Dumbledore cut her off with a raised hand and a smile. "I was just getting to that, Dolores. It seems we're in luck, I've managed to procure someone willing to take up the post."

The other teachers couldn't stop the smug grins that bloomed on their faces. Umbridge had been trying to force herself into the post for the past year, only to be rebuffed in favour of Alastor Moody, who Dumbledore had managed to convince to take up the position the previous year. Living with the woman was bad enough, working with her would be unbearable.

Naturally Dolores wasn't amused by this and her voice became less sweet, her smile more forced. "I'm not sure what you mean, Headmaster. You haven't interviewed any candidates and none have come forward; I checked. With that in mind, I feel it best that _I _take up the position." She preened.

"And what qualifications do _you_ have to teach Defence, _Dolores_?" Minerva McGonagall asked with forced politeness. It was no secret that the two women despised each other.

"Well, _Minerva_," Umbridge shot back. "The Minister, and by extension the Ministry of Magic, has decreed me fit enough to teach the students in _proper_ manner they should be taught. That alone makes me more than qualified to teach the subject."

McGonagall scoffed. "Teach them practically nothing except theory and bigotry of other races more like."

Dumbledore broke in before a full blown argument could brake out. "Ladies, as much as this conversation means to us all, I'm afraid the fact remains that I have already hired someone to teach the position."

But Umbridge wasn't going to give up that easily. "And what makes you think this mystery person is capable of teaching the subject?"

"He comes with some of the best qualifications there are and has many years of experience. I won't lie, it took a lot to convince him to take up the position but in the end he agreed." He didn't feel the need to tell them that he hadn't talked to Harry as much as he went over his head to the boy's boss and pretty much begged for him to be sent to the school.

"I think the main question is, Headmaster, who this mystery teacher is." Came the drawl of Severus Snape from the corner. The Potions Master had been miffed that he had once again been denied the position he'd long coveted. While he was happy that Umbridge wouldn't be getting the job, he couldn't help but be curious as to who did get it.

Dumbledore nodded at the greasy haired man. "Quite right, Severus. During the summer I happened across some rather startling information. It seems that--"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door and they turned to see a slightly nervous Argus Filch poking his head through the door. "Ah, there are some people here to see you, Headmaster."

Dumbledore's eyes lit up and his smile grew. "Excellent, Argus, please send them in." He turned to the other teachers who were confused. Did he say _them_? Was there more than one person joining them for the year? "I believe this should answer your questions."

The door was opened fully and in stepped a woman who drew the men's breath away. Her violet eyes glided over the room and it's occupants before she moved aside with cat-like grace, taking up position in one of the corners of the room, the shadows seeming to envelop her like a blanket.

The next newcomer raised a few eyebrows, especially from the Muggle Studies teacher who recognised the strange contraptions the man carried. Even having worked alongside Haggrid for many years, they couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by the man's size. The stranger's scarred face twisted as he grinned and he strolled off to lean against a wall, his weapon gripped in his hands with a casual, yet sinister ease.

When they turned to see the last person to enter, many people gasped.

The carbon copy James Potter stepped through the open doorway, his hand resting easily on the top of an expensive looking cane, the other tucked inside his trouser pocket. Foreign green eyes that could only belong to one woman gleamed with intelligence as he took in the room. He seemed to radiate an aura of power, authority and deadliness as he looked at the teachers, a lazy smirk on his face. Every eye in the room was drawn to his forehead where they could all see the infamous lightning scar that proclaimed the person's identity more effectively than the gleaming badge of office that lay upon his chest.

He seemed amused by the shocked silence that enveloped the room because when he spoke, his strong voice was filled with mirth. "Well hello there. I am Inquisitor Harry Potter, pleased to make your acquaintance."

The room vibrated with shocked silence.

Then chaos broke loose.

Every person in the room bar Dumbledore and the three Inquisition agents leapt to their feet, their voices all combining into one mighty clamour as they bombarded Dumbledore with questions.

Harry looked at Patience and Bruce with an amused look on his face, one which was mirrored in theirs.

After a few minutes of this, Dumbledore restored the peace with a raised hand. "I understand that you all have questions and I will do my best to answer them but I must ask that you speak one at a time. Now I believe Minerva has something to ask?"

McGonagall shakily stood. "Albus, what is going on? I thought Harry Potter died years ago."

Dumbledore knew this would be asked first. "As far as I was aware, Harry Potter did indeed die all those years ago however it was after a meeting with the ICW in Belgium that I discovered the truth. It seems that on a night twelve years ago, Harry met an Inquisitor who took him from his family and enrolled him into the training academy of the Inquisition."

Harry chuckled lightly, catching their attention as he looked down at Dumbledore. "You make it sound as if I was taken against my will and forced to join the Inquisition. I wasn't. I had full control over my destiny and _chose_ to become an Inquisitor of my own free will."

Dumbledore nodded in recognition. "Of course. Well, after I heard this, I met with an old acquaintance of mine. With some bartering, I managed to get Harry assigned to Hogwarts as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. In addition to this, he will also take charge of the school's security. I believe that with his knowledge, he would perform well in both roles."

"But…he's just a child, Albus!"

Harry twitched slightly and it was only Patience's heightened sight that caught it. He looked at McGonagall with a surprisingly stern voice for a teenager. "Ma'am, I may be young, but I assure you, I am capable of teaching these children and _more _than capable of dealing with Riddle and his Death Eaters. Age is irrelevant, only skill matters."

The teachers blinked at the boy's logic while Dumbledore nodded. "I agree. I have been told that Harry is one of the best to ever hold the title of Inquisitor. I have also been told that he is a protégé the likes of which is seen only very rarely. I have complete faith that he will perform admirably."

"And who are they?" Flitwick asked, glancing between the two Order agents at opposite ends of the room.

Harry took this one. He flicked his head towards the shadows where his favourite Vampire lay in wait. "That is Patience Kys and the man over there is Bruce Hornton. They are my most trusted staff members." He felt no need to say they were his _only_ staff members; it kept them guessing.

Minerva glanced between the two. "I don't recognise either of you. Did you attend school abroad or did the Inquisition take you in as well?"

Patience gave a sort of shrug that was almost invisible in the darkness surrounding her. I grew up abroad but most of what I know I learned from my mother. Besides," She flashed them a lopsided grin, revealing an elongated canine, causing them all to gasp. "I finished my schooling a long time ago."

"You're a Vampire!?" Umbridge screeched, drawing her wand and pointing it shakily towards the raven haired woman.

They saw Patience's eyes roll. "I see your education didn't go to waste. Yes; I'm a Vampire. Now put that stick away before I decide to have a pre-meal snack."

"I'd advise you to do as she says." Harry said. "I don't take kindly to people threatening my staff."

"Neither do I." Bruce's gravely voice spoke from directly behind Umbridge, causing her to squeak in terror and turn her wand on him. He wasn't scared by it.

"What about you?" Minerva asked, silently enjoying Umbridge's fear. "It's obvious by your accent that your from London and by the look of you, I'd say that at least one of us taught here while you were old enough to be a student."

Bruce gave a shrug, his face twisting with his grin. "I didn't come to Hogwarts. Wouldn't have made much sense with me not being able to use magic."

"You're a Squib?" Umbridge, who had since collected herself somewhat, looked at the man with a face you'd normally associate with someone who'd just been served a pile of dung for breakfast.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the woman's tone but his grin remained. "You're getting closer."

It took them a few minutes to work out what he meant. It was Flitwick who caught on first. "You're a Muggle!?"

The entire staff's jaws hit the table, even Dumbledore's as Bruce and Harry laughed while Patience chuckled quietly. "Rejoice, for the Muggles have come to Hogwarts!" Harry proclamed.

"B-But the Wards!" Professor Sinestra cried. "I thought they were supposed to keep Muggles away from Hogwarts. How did you get in?"

Bruce winked at her. "Magic."

Harry shook his head at his friend, a small smile on his face.

Before anyone could say anything else, Dumbledore took out his pocket watch and checked it's many hands. "I'm afraid we need to cut this meeting a little short. The students will be arriving soon and Haggrid needs to prepare the boats for the First Years and the carriages for the other Years. I believe we should await their arrival in the Great Hall."

Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked out the door as the other teachers clambered out of their chairs, muttering to each other about the shocking revelation they'd just heard. In her seat, Dolores Umbridge frowned. She did not like these new revelations.

Harry easily caught up to Dumbledore, Patience and Bruce following behind the two as they made their way towards the Great Hall. Harry leaned over to mutter something to Dumbledore who glanced back at the teen before nodding his head in agreement.

As they neared the Hall, Dumbledore spoke quietly to Harry, trying to tune out the two behind them. "Harry?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it wise to bring your friends to the school with you?"

Harry glanced at the Headmaster before looking ahead once more. "Well, I thought it would be harder to bring the school to them. Not impossible but harder."

"That's not what I mean. I mean that--"

"You mean because Patience is a Vampire and Bruce is a Muggle, they might not be very well received."

"Yes. The truth of what they are could make some of the students feel uncomfortable and wary. Don't you think it would be best if they--"

Harry cut him off. "I don't care about the student's comfort. I'm here to do my job and their comfort has nothing to do with it. They'll either learn to accept it or not, but be warned, Dumbledore. I won't accept any racism from your students and if, God forbid, they decide to _attack_ any of my staff…" He trailed off, letting Dumbledore's imagination fill in the gaps.

Albus looked at Harry warily. "Harry?" He asked hesitantly. "You wouldn't…_hurt _the students…would you?"

Harry's only answer was to smirk at the old man and quicken his pace into the Great Hall, his followers behind him, leaving a very concerned Headmaster.

Just what had he unleashed upon his school?

* * *

The students filled the Great Hall, chattering amorously as they waited for the First Years. They spoke mostly of their summers, the war, new/ex-partners and, of course, Quidditch. One topic however was new. That was of course the three strangers seated at the Head Table. The newcomers were sat between McGonagall and Sprout, making the table seem more crowded than usual.

The students (Mostly the boys) talked of the goddess-like woman who's eyes swept over the tables, taking in the faces or of the large, dangerous looking man who sat hunched over the table, fiddling with the long knife in his hands. The third person, who was sat between the other two, had tilted their chair back on it's hind legs and was covered in shadow, the gloom too thick for anyone to get a proper look at them.

At the Gryffindor table, Ginny Weasley leaned over to talk to her long time friend, Hermione Granger. "Hermione? Who'd you recon they are?"

The bushy haired girl shrugged. "Don't know but I'm guessing one of them is the new Defence teacher. I wonder what the other two are here for though, there aren't any new classes starting up."

A voice further up the table scoffed. "You would know, wouldn't you, Granger?"

Hermione turned to face the only person in the school she hated more than anyone else (Save perhaps Umbridge). "Just because you don't care about you education, _Ronald_, doesn't mean nobody cares about theirs."

Ginny glared at her youngest older brother. "No one asked you, Ron, so keep your nose out before Bat Bogies start coming out of it."

Ron Weasley shook his head and turned away from the girls. "Know-it-all."

"Neanderthal."

The rest of the Gryffindors were spared any further Granger vs. Weasley arguments with the arrival of Professor McGonagall with the latest batch of students. After placing the Sorting Hat on the stool, the thing's wide tear opened up and the old hat began to sing it's melody of schools unity, the virtues of the houses and of overcoming the Darkness. As it's last note ended, the school broke into applause, prompting McGonagall to start the Sorting with Appleby, Hughes (RAVENCLAW!).

When the sorting finished with Willow, Sam (GRYFFINDOR!) McGonagall placed the stool off to one side as Dumbledore got to his feet, a welcoming smile on his wizened face. "To all our new students: welcome and to all our old students: welcome back! I have a few announcements…but I'm sure you're all hungry so it can wait."

With that, the meals instantly appeared on the golden plates, prompting the pupils to dig in. A few of the more keen eyed observers noticed that the beautiful woman at the table didn't eat anything but took a dark red vial from her coat and began to sip from it as she talked to the large man across from her.

After devouring yet another scrumptious meal, the students turned to the Head Table for Dumbledore's annual announcements. He did not disappoint.

"As per usual, the Forbidden Forest lives up to it's name and remains off limits. Also Mr Filch has informed me that the list of banned objects in the school has reached record levels, reaching an impressive three-hundred and fifty items in total. A full list can be viewed in his office. I am also pleased to inform you that Madam Umbridge will be staying with us for another year."

The _only_ people to clap at this were the Slytherins and Dumbledore. The hate just seemed to roll off the others in the school, even the teachers. Umbridge was oblivious to it all and just sat there with a sickening smile on her fat face.

After the meagre applause ended, Dumbledore face the gathered school once more, his face becoming serious. "At this point I also remind each and everyone of you to remain vigilant. As you are already aware, Wizarding Britain is currently at war with the forces of Lord Voldemort (There were the usual flinches, yelps, screams and even something that sounded strangely like a seal laughing at this). I ask each and every one of you to keep your eyes open. If you see anything suspicious, report it to a teacher at once. On a similar note, I wish to announce something of great importance that will effect not only you, but the entire war itself."

His calm blue eyes swept the sea of students before him, every one of them hanging on his every word. "During the summer I managed to contact an acquaintance of mine to procure some assistance in this war and I was not disappointed. With the Ministry scrambling to form a defence against Voldemort and his followers, the Holy Order of the Inquisition has decided to take action."

At that, most of the students broke into frenzied whispering, those that knew about the Inquisition informing those who didn't of it's purpose and it's reputation. Many became nervous, even scared at the prospect of one of those shadowy watchmen getting involved in the war. If they had a choice, many would rather face a Death Eater than an Inquisitor on the hunt. Hell, they'd rather face a Dementor.

Dumbledore released a number of firecrackers from his wand to restore order. When all was calm once more, he continued, "As I was saying, the Inquisition has decided that the matter of Voldemort and his Death Eaters is too great to ignore and has decided to take a more active role in the war to aid us. I have heard that this Inquisitor has already met with Minister Fudge and the Head of the DMLE, Madam Bones to formulate plans to end this war once and for all. They have also seen fit to take a more active interest in Hogwarts itself." The whispering became a low droning hum as the tension mounted. "With Professor Moody gone to aid in the war effort the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is once more vacant. With this in mind the Inquisition has seen fit send someone to protect the school and teach you how to defend yourselves from attack." The whispering reached it's peak, threatening to spill over into full blown talking as one of the strangers, the shadowed figure in the centre, stood from his chair and began to make his way around the table. The mystery person stepped from the shadows as Dumbledore finished his announcement.

"So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor: Inquisitor Harry Potter."

* * *

**A/N: "Crackles* I is more evil than the evilest guy who ever did evil-ed!**

**PAIRING:**

**Poll is on my bio. Voting starts…**

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	4. The First Day

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

* * *

"So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor: Inquisitor Harry Potter."

Silence.

Complete and utter silence.

That was until a young Third Year turned to her friend and asked in a whisper that carried around the Great Hall for everyone to hear.

"Did he just say 'Harry Potter'? As in _THE_ Harry Potter?"

The dam broke.

Like a wave, the voices of the hundreds of gathered students seemed rear up before crashing down in a deafening crescendo. The students lost any pretences of trying to make it seem like they weren't talking, instead opting to shout questions at each other, even calling over to other tables.

"Did he just say Harry Potter?"

"I think so."

"I thought he was dead."

"He went missing years ago."

"I thought he was locked up in the Department of Mysteries."

"He's an Inquisitor?"

"Is he really our age?"

"He's gorgeous!"

Harry's eyebrows arched at that last one and he glanced over his shoulder to where Patience and Bruce were sitting. The pair seemed _very_ amused at the reception and raised their goblets in a mock toast, wide grins on their faces. Harry glared at them but couldn't stop the amused smirk that made it's way onto his face. He turned back to the masses just as Dumbledore was restoring order with the help of a liberal amount of loud bangs from his wand. After nearly a minute, the students finally calmed down enough for them to hear the rest of the announcement. Many were craning their necks trying to spot Harry and a few even stood from their seats for a better look.

"Thank you." Dumbledore said. "Now Inquisitor Potter has asked to say a few words about the arrangement for the next year. Please listen carefully to what he has to say."

Dumbledore stepped aside and gestured for Harry to take the stage which he did with a gracious nod. He turned to the sea of black robes before him, his hands in his pockets and his cane standing beside him, propped up with absolutely no assistance. His cool gaze swept the tables before him before he grinned.

"Hello all!" He called out to the students. "My name is Inquisitor Harry Potter and for the duration of the war I'll be your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. In addition to this, I've also been charged with the defence of Hogwarts. Because of this there will be changes. These changes may be planned or they may be completely spontaneous but the fact remains that for your own safety and that of those around you, these new rules _will_ be obeyed. Anyone who thinks these rules don't apply to them or they are above such things will be dealt with most harshly." His eyes locked with many of the student's showing them he was completely serious.

He continued, "The first of these rules apply to the Quidditch teams so listen up." Many straightened up in their seats, eager to hear what was going to happen to their favourite sport. "All House captains will submit to me a list of their players, training timetables, tryout dates and anything else connected with managing the teams. Any team that does not submit these things will not be permitted to play at all. You have been warned."

There was nervous muttering at the tables. This sounded an awful lot like Umbridge's Decrees from last year.

Harry ignored the muttering. "In addition to this, all teams must have at least one member of staff supervising all tryouts and training sessions to make sure you're all kept safe. Another new rule is the one pertaining to being out of bounds after hours. If I find _anyone _skulking around the castle at night without a note or good excuse, the punishment will be far greater than simple detentions or removal of House points. This rule, of course doesn't apply to prefects but only if it's their shift so be prepared to show a timetable if I ask for it."

Harry started to pace the stage. "Now in the coming weeks the school will be going through some renovations. The defences of the school will be upgraded and improved far beyond anything previously seen. I won't tell you what these are for obvious reasons."

He stopped pacing and thought for a moment. "I won't lie to you. I expect this war to be bloody, violent and I expect many people to die before it's conclusion. Such is the cost of war. Because of this there will be times when I won't be available to teach. When this happens you'll either be left in the care of one of my staff or given a free period. Let me make one thing clear: My job is to hunt and kill Dark Wizards. I'm not a teacher. Never was and after this I doubt I ever will be again so my curriculum will be…_unique _to say the least."

Just then a voice spoke up behind him, causing many to glare in the speaker's direction with unsuppressed hate. "I do hope, _Inquisitor,_ that this curriculum will be _Ministry approved?_"

Much to the astonishment of everyone else in the Great Hall, Harry continued on as if Umbridge hadn't spoken. "I'm not so cruel as to rob you of your Hogsmade visits but when you are there you are strictly to stay within the bounds of the village, preferably near the High Street. There will be Aurors, teachers and my own staff on hand to handle any trouble so if you need help just look for one of them. I also wish to announce that this year, I will be opening a duelling club for any who wish to learn how to fight."

This raised a great many cheers from the student population but before they could get into it too much, Umbridge's high pitched voice spoke out again. "Now, Inquisitor, I really don't see why these _children _would need to know--"

Harry once again ignored the woman, much to the student's (And teacher's) glee and Umbridge's consternation. "I am also aware that a number of you are related to known Death Eaters." His eyes flicked towards the Slytherin table. Many shivered at how cold his voice became with his next sentence. "Know that if I discover that you have taken the Mark or are working for Voldemort in any way you will be dealt with accordingly."

Once more the docile tones of Dolores Umbridge spoke up, earning more than a few groans and eye rolls. "I hope you are not suggesting, _sir_, that any member of a respectable Pureblood family would be involved in any nefarious activities?" The polite tone was as transparent as air. It was obvious she was angered over being ignored.

Harry, already growing tired of the woman, closed his eyes and took a breath. "Headmaster?" He said, his back still to the Head Table.

Dumbledore looked up. "Yes, Inquisitor Potter?"

"If she speaks again without me knowing who she is, I'm going to throw her through the window." He glanced over his shoulder at the old man. "And I won't open it first."

Jaws dropped and many were forced to cover their mouths to smother their laughter at the look out sheer outrage on Umbridge's face will most of the others wore wide grins, happy that someone was finally standing up to the bloated toad.

Dumbledore had to speak over Umbridge's shocked splutters. "This is Dolores Umbridge and by Ministry decree she is Hogwarts' resident High Inquisitor."

Harry's eyebrows shot towards his hairline as a look of disbelief crossed his face. He turned to Umbridge who was standing there with her arms folded, a rather smug smile on her face. Harry looked her up and down.

Then burst out laughing.

He couldn't help it. The thought of _this _woman (If she could be called that) as an Inquisitor was…

He clutched his cane for support as he laughed. He barely registered Bruce chuckling along with him and Patience looking down at her plate intently, loosing the battle with the smile trying to fight it's way onto her face.

Dolores was now even angrier. How dare this _boy_ laugh at her; the Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic himself. She grit her teeth. "And what, may I ask, is so funny?"

Harry got his hilarity under control, wiping away a stray tear as he stood up fully. "I'm sorry, it's just the thought of you as an Inquisitor is…" He started snickering again and many of the students joined in seeing the look on Umbridge's face which only made her even angrier. Harry stroked his chin in a thinking pose as he looked at her. "We need to find you a new title. Can't have you pretending to be an Inquisitor now can we? What shall we call you?"

Umbridge looked incised. "The title of High Inquisitor was bestowed upon me by the Minister for Magic himself and is a title recognised by the Wizengamot!"

Harry smirked and shook his head. "Sorry, it's all a matter of copyright. Unless I see a disclaimer, you're going to have to change it." He glanced at Patience who glared back and he smirked. She knew he was poking fun of her hobby. She should have remembered to clear the internet search history…

Harry clapped his hands behind his back and spoke as if scalding a young child. "We'll leave your new title for another day though I don't want you going about with the title of 'High Inquisitor'; it might confuse people so we'll just call you 'Madam Umbridge'." He turned to the students who were watching the exchange with a great deal of glee, awe and in some cases (Slytherins) distain. "Do you all understand that?"

"Yes!" They all chanted back, grins on many faces.

"Good!" Harry turned back to Umbridge, who's face was becoming a cherry red. "You can sit down now."

He turned to walk away when she shouted after him, "You can't do this! The Minister--"

Harry spun to face her, all traces of pleasantness gone. Many student's shivered as the look on his face reminded them of Professor McGonagall on one of her worst days. When he spoke, it was with firm authority. "The Minister no longer has any control in these matters. He has shown his incapability to perform the duties given to him as Minister for Magic and as such the Inquisition has been called in to fix _your_ mess."

"Now see here--"

"SIT!" Harry barked.

Umbridge's arse hit the chair so fast, it was a miracle that it didn't break from the impact. All where silent as Harry spoke. This was Inquisitor Potter before them.

Harry's eyes locked with Umbridge's but he spoke for all to hear. "The second that I accepted the mission, this became an Inquisitorial matter. _We _have jurisdiction, not the Ministry of Magic. Not the Wizengamot. Not even the International Confederation of Wizards. When I saw the floundering of the Ministry, I stepped in to make sure that it didn't collapse in on itself with mindless bickering and blind racism. I won't rush in and force things to be the way they should be but I _will _force the Ministry to do it."

He pulled his rosette from around his neck and held it aloft, clenched in his fist so that every eye in the hall could see it, the crimson jewel gleaming in the light as he turned to the mass of students. "I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire city and consign ten-thousand souls to Oblivion. _This_ is my authority and cleansing the world of Dark Wizards is my duty. It is a duty that I do not intend to fail."

Draping the rosette around his neck once more, Harry reached inside his coat and withdrew a short but thick cylinder made of black marble, veins of red running through it. Both ends were capped with ornate silver and the thing looked like it could be opened up if the line running down it's length was anything to go by which was secured by an equally ornate lock.

Harry held this up. "This is a Inquisitorial edict signed by both myself and my superior in the Inquisition. As of this moment Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr, a.k.a 'Lord Voldemort', is hereby declared _Extremis Diabolous_. From this point on, Riddle is a Heretic. The punishment for this crime is death and I fully intend to see this sentence carried out."

He turned to the shocked and awed form of Dumbledore who sat gaping at the boy - no - _man_ before him. "I'm done here, Headmaster."

With that, Harry strode from the Great Hall, Patience and Bruce following behind, leaving behind a stunned Hogwarts left to ponder the force that was Harry Potter.

* * *

Later than night, many people were talking. The topic? Their newest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor: Harry James Potter.

"He's amazing!" Ronald Weasley exclaimed to the room in general.

The Gryffindors were all gathered in their common room, discussing the shocking revelations they had just heard. After being dismissed from the Great Hall, they all left for their House, each talking of the newest teacher.

"And did you see the look on that old toad's face!?" Ron continued, looking like someone had just named him Captain of the Chudley Cannons. "She's never looked like that, not even when she and McGonagall were arguing!"

"Did you see her face when he mentioned throwing her through the window?" Katie Bell asked, a wide grin on her face. "Almost wish he had given what she put us through last year."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't have _really _done it, Katie. Would he?" She looked unsure at the end.

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm not sure, Ginny. Legally, he could have if he wanted to."

Ginny's eyes were wide, as were some others. "Really?"

Hermione nodded. "An Inquisitor has almost limitless authority. Basically, if he wants to do something, no one could stop him, save for perhaps another Inquisitor or his superior he was talking about."

Ron shook his head, a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face. "I still can't believe we're going to be taught by an Inquisitor. And he's the _Boy-Who-Lived_!"

"I thought he was dead though." Ginny said with a slight blush. She'd always heard about the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived growing up and she had developed a crush on him without even have met him. When she saw him stand up in the Great Hall, all tall and broad shouldered…

Dean nodded. "I heard he went missing when he was four. Imagine being recruited by an organisation like the Inquisition at that age. He must be crazy powerful!"

"And he's going to be teaching us how to _duel_!" Seamus added with a wide grin.

"I remember my brother Bill talking about them." Ron said in a hushed voice. "He was doing some work for Gringotts in Egypt when an Inquisitor roped him into one of his missions. He couldn't tell me much about it but they ran into a bit of trouble with tomb raiders and got into a fight. He says the Inquisitor made some of the Auror duels he's seen look like a mild jinxing contest in comparison. Remember, Gin?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah, mum went ballistic when she found out. She wanted Bill to drop being a Curse Breaker and come home but he wouldn't." She laughed. "I think mum would have sent the Inquisitor a Howler if she wasn't so scared of them!"

"Did you hear what he said about You-Know-Who?" Lee Jordan asked, his voice low as if he was scared of Voldemort jumping out from under one of the girls skirts or flying through the window to get him.

"Yeah." George said in a voice full of awe. "Do you really reckon he'd hunt down You-Know-Who?"

"How could he? I mean, You-Know-Who's the most powerful Dark Lord of all time." Fred said, doubt clouding his voice. "And you all saw him; he's younger than me or you George, how could he beat someone like You-Know-Who?"

Ron broke in. "But he's the _Boy-Who-Lived_! He did it once already _and_ he's an Inquisitor now! There's no telling what he could do."

"But he is young though." Hermione said. She glanced out the window towards the moonlit grounds. "I wonder what sort of teacher he'll be."

* * *

Down in the Slytherin dorms, things weren't so cheerful.

Draco Malfoy was surrounded by a few of his closest companions (He was loath to call them friends). They had been whispering in a huddled corner, talking about their new professor as well.

"I can't believe it." Nott mumbled with a shake of his head. "Harry bloody Potter is alive. And an Inquisitor. And he'll be teaching _here!"_

"Calm down, Nott!" Malfoy snapped. "I doubt we have anything to worry about."

Nott looked at the boy as if he'd just sprouted a pair of wings and started flying round the common room. "Nothing to worry about? Are you mad!? We have someone from the deadliest organisation there is living here and you sat we've nothing to worry about? Malfoy, he says he'll be watching _everyone _for any Dark activity! Inquisitor's aren't like Aurors. They don't wait for warrants or follow any law but their own. If he were to march down here, strap us all to chairs, ply us with Veritaserum until it's coming out of our ears and ask us all about our personal lives, he could do it without getting into trouble! We're fucked!"

Malfoy grit his teeth. "We haven't taken the Dark Mark yet. As long as we don't raise any suspicion, we won't have to worry about Potter sniffing around. I'll need to inform Father about this. You should tell your parents too. The Dark Lord needs to know that Harry Potter lives!"

The next day would see a number of owls flying of towards a number of properties owned by prominent Pureblood families, each bearing a hastily written letter.

* * *

Snape slammed the door to his quarters and rushed to his bedroom where he withdrew a full bottle of Firewhiskey from the drawer. He was nearly hyperventilating as he poured a generous amount into the glass, a fair amount spilling onto the table because of his shaky hands.

He was alive. Potter's bastard son was alive! He'd thought the boy had surely perished when he'd left his relatives home all those years ago and that any trace of the name Potter was finally gone.

He threw back his shot before pouring himself another. After tossing that back, he collapsed into a nearby chair, staring vacantly into the fire.

The fact that the boy was a Potter and _his_ body double paled in comparison to that of him being an Inquisitor. An Inquisitor! The best of the Dark Wizard hunters! If the Potter brat knew he was a Death Eater, there was no telling what he'd do, Dumbledore's backing or not. He could be carted off to some cell somewhere, left to rot or just killed on the spot.

He buried his face into his hands, a low groan of misery escaping his throat. Why did his life have to be so bloody complicated!?

* * *

Dolores Umbridge threw herself into one of her overstuffed, doily covered armchairs with a huff.

How dare he!? That whelp of a boy! First he steals the position that should have been _hers_ to assure that the Ministry's interest are fulfilled at the school, then he brings in that monster and the Muggle, strutting around like they own the place and he _dared_ make a threat to her person! The nerve!

She moved herself from her chair to her desk, pulled out a sheet of pink parchment and began to furiously scribble a letter to Cornelius. _He'd_ know what to do. She couldn't let a simple _boy_ ruin everything they had been working towards.

* * *

Harry, Patience and Bruce convened in their shared common room. It was a rather spacious circular room, made of dark wooden floors and stone walls draped with heavy tapestries depicting the Inquisitorial crest on a black background. Comfortable black leather furniture lay scattered around the room and a number of staircases led off to the six separate rooms. The large fireplace burned brightly.

Harry set his heavy coat over the arm of a nearby chair and scrutinised the heavy tapestries as he unbuckled his armour. "I really appreciate the effort but don't you think all the black is a little depressing?" He thought for a moment then snapped his fingers and instantly the banners changed. It was like looking out at a bright beach on a sunny day, the moving waves crashing down on the shore as tiny figures dashed to and fro or lay sunning themselves on the sand.

"What do you think?"

Bruce nodded his approval. "Nice."

Patience shook her head. "Change it to something that matches the time outside otherwise it'll just get confusing."

Harry nodded an the scene changed to a view of the sea at night, the woven moon high in the fake sky in the exact same position as the original in the heavens outside.

Patience smirked. The scene was awfully familiar. "Homesick?" She asked with a teasing grin.

Harry rolled his eyes at her. "No, I just love the view."

Patience stretched, inadvertently giving the boys another type of good view. "Well, I think I'll go out and get something to eat before I go to sleep. I had to settle for that bottled crap at the feast." She shook her head. Nothing beat fresh blood straight from the jugular.

"I'll have Dumbledore order the House Elves to serve you a fresh kill at every meal." Harry yawned. It had been a long day.

Patience just shook her head. "Naw, I'll settle for the bottles at mealtimes in the school. The hunt makes the feast all the more succulent." A wide predatory grin made it's way onto her face, her fangs elongating slightly in anticipation as she crossed over to the window. She threw it open and placed one leg on the sill, the night breeze pulling at her hair slightly.

Harry just shook his head at his friend. "Happy hunting."

She was gone in an instant. Harry went over to close the window but left it open a crack for her to climb back in later.

"You going straight to bed?" Bruce asked as Harry picked up his coat and armour.

"Yeah. Bloody classes first thing in the morning." He sighed.

"An Inquisitor's work is never ending." Bruce smirked.

"Ain't that the truth."

* * *

_**BOY-WHO-VANISHED RETURNS!!!**_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Last night at the annual Hogwarts Sorting Feast the usual start of term announcements gave way to a revelation that has shocked the magical world:_

_Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-Then-Vanished, is alive and well!_

_After the ceremonial event in which pupils are placed into their individual Houses, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore made a series of announcements, one of which was the identity of the latest professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts; a position many have claimed is cursed following it's many short lived (In some cases literally) post holders._

_After retired Auror Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody's retirement at the end of the previous term, the school was once more left without a proper Defence teacher, something many have claimed is crucial in the present times._

_It is widely known that two years ago, Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge tried unsuccessfully to install his Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Jane Umbridge, into the position, only to be rebuffed after Headmaster Dumbledore coaxed old Moody out of retirement. Minister Fudge retaliated by instating Madam Umbridge as the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor._

_With Moody's retirement from the position, Dumbledore was once more forced to search for a new teacher for his staff. It was thought that no applicants had stepped forward for the position and that Dolores Umbridge's ambitions would come to fruition._

_Those hopes were dashed with Dumbledore's start of term speech where he announced to the world that not only is Mr Potter alive but that he will also be teaching at Hogwarts._

_Now I know what you're thinking. How can a boy of sixteen teach other children his own age (And older) to properly defend themselves in these troubled times?_

_The answer? Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, is an Inquisitor of the Holy Order of the Inquisition._

_That's right ladies and gentlemen, the saviour of the Wizarding World is a member of the deadliest group of Dark Wizard hunters of all time, a truly remarkable feat for one so young._

_It turns out that many years ago, when the magical population of Great Britain thought their hero dead, he was in fact taken in by the shadowy organisation to be trained in the ways of hunting Dark Wizards and this was done without informing the Ministry of Magic at all._

_Is this fate? The greatest Dark Lord of recent times comes back from the dead to terrorize the land, seemingly unstoppable in his murderous campaign only for the very person who vanquished him all those years ago to also seemingly rise from the grave to do battle with his foe once more. It sounds like something from a story designed to amuse children at bedtime yet may determine the course of the future. The Greatest Dark Wizard vs. the Greatest Dark Wizard Hunter._

_Reportedly, Inquisitor Potter has already announced his plans to fight You-Know-Who, issuing an edict decreeing the Dark Lord _Extremis Diabolous: _a Heretic Against Magic._

_Will the Boy-Who-Lived be able to finally defeat his foe? Will he be able to spare thousands from living under the harsh reign that would surely prevail if You-Know-Who triumphs? These, ladies and gentlemen, are questions that only time will answer._

_Continued on page 3..._

_For the story of the Boy-Who-Lived (pg4)_

_For a brief description of the Inquisition (pg 5)_

_For a list of previous Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers and the reasons for their demise (pg 6-7)_

Harry set his copy of the _Daily Prophet _on the table and continued to slurp his soup, seemingly unaware of the many glances and stares being thrown his way.

"Well?" Patience asked as she sipped her vial of blood. She was still full from the small feast she had the night before.

Harry shrugged. "Just what we expected. Boy-Who-Lived this, fate that, saviour those, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"So what's on the agenda today?" Bruce asked as he tore into his pile of bacon. With the amount of greasy fat on that plate it would be a miracle in the man lived past his next birthday. Or so Patience said.

"I want you to scout the surrounding area of the castle. I want to know everything of use. Patience, your job is to scout out the inside of the school. Get a feel for the layout and pinpoint any important places or areas of interest. You can both ask Dumbledore for blueprints if you need to, just tell him I sent you."

"What about you?"

"I've got the first two periods free so I'm going to get the classroom ready for my first vic--erm, _students_."

Patience smirked. "Any ideas for a first lesson?"

Harry grinned into his soup.

* * *

It was a few hours later that a very nervous and excited group of Sixth Years gathered outside the door to the Defence class, each wondering what their latest professor had in store for them. The problem with Harry not being around at all before the start of the school term was that he didn't set a minimum required grade for the class, so anyone who passed their Defence O.W.L. made it in. This problem was solved by splitting the Sixth Years into two classes. This one contained a mix of Slytherins and Gryffindors and the other would comprise of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

Ron Weasley, who had just barely managed to scrape an Acceptable grade in his exams, bounced on his heels beside Dean and Seamus while Parvati, Lavender and Hermione were talking a few feet away. Malfoy and his small entourage were leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, glaring at everyone not in Slytherin green.

They had been standing there for a little over a minute since the bell went and were beginning to wonder where their teacher was. Hermione was about to speak up when they all heard and felt something. It was a steady thumping that vibrated through the air, passing through them. Many looked at each other in confusion before Parvati spoke up.

"It's coming from inside the classroom."

Neville, who was the closet to the door at the time, looked nervous as he reached for the handle. His hand hesitated on it for a moment before he pushed the door open allowing the sounds to rush out into the corridor and wash over them in a near deafening beat. Many Muggleborns grinned as they recognised the song.

_I could care less how she perform when she in the bed_

_Bitch hit that track, catch a date, and come and pay the kid_

_Look baby this is simple, you can't see_

_You fucking with me, you fucking with a P-I-M-P_

They were in awe of the room before them. It easily dwarfed any previous Defence classroom by far. The room had been magically enlarged to be two-hundred metres long and a hundred wide. Along the walls, large windows were spaced at regular intervals, letting light into the massive room which was completely empty. The ceiling had been enchanted just like the roof of the Great Hall, allowing them to see into the clear sky above. Along the walls near the door were hook for their bags and robes and a few metres from them was a spiral staircase of metal which seemingly went up to a square in midair. It looked like the sole led to an office which must have been invisible or cloaked from sight because the only indication that it was there came from the staircase and the tune warbling from it which had just progressed into the chorus of the song.

_I don't know what you heard about me_

_But a bitch can't get a dollar out of me_

_No Cadillac, no perms, you can't see_

_That I'm a motherfucking P-I-M-P_

They heard the faint sound of movement over the steady thumping and saw a pair of legs poke out of the hole before their teacher strolled down the staircase from what must have been his office, swaying slightly to the music. He had kept his heavy coat from the night before as well as the button-up shirt and denims but had chosen to forgo his armour and his rosette was gone too.

When he noticed them, the music from the hope slowly faded. When he stepped off the last step, the entire staircase shuddered before retracting into the floor, the hole it led to closing as well leaving no indication that there had been anything there at all.

Harry grinned at their dumfounded expressions and just waved them towards the hooks on the wall. "Leave your bags, cloaks and outer robes on the hooks. You won't be needing them."

The class snapped out of their dazes and hurried to follow their orders, eager to begin. When that was done, they grouped back in front of Harry, slightly confused as to what they should do now. With a smile, Harry waved his hand and, much to their astonishment, conjured a dozen or so padded leather chairs and couches. Once everyone was seated comfortably, Harry conjured himself a chair and sunk into it, folding his legs and propping his head up on one fist, his other hand lying on the other armrest.

With a small _pop_, a parchment and a quill appeared before a startled Tracey Davis and plopped down onto her lap. "Please sign your names so I know who's here." Harry instructed. As that went underway, he began.

"Welcome to N.E.W.T. level Defence Against the Dark Arts. As you've probably already realised, there are more than the average number of students here than you'd expect in a N.E.W.T. class. That's because I haven't been in the country long and even if I had been I would have most likely let anyone with a pass grade in so that as many people know how to defend themselves as possible in these times. As I said at the Sorting Feast, my ways of teaching will be different than what you're used to. You're going to be focusing mainly on the more practical side of Defence but that's not to say there won't be bookwork!" He quickly added seeing their hopeful faces.

He looked around, meeting many people's eyes. "There is a war on. As a result there will be battles, battles which you may be drawn into either willingly or unwillingly. It is my job to make sure you survive those battles or at least come out in enough pieces to survive, either will do. This will mean extensive work or your half. By the end of this year, hell, by the end of this month I expect most of you will wish me a slow and painful death with what I put you through. If at any time during the year I feel you are not performing to the best of your ability, I will kick you out of this room so fast no potion or spell in existence will be able to remove the boot print from your cheeks. If I think you are falling behind I will help you catch up and if you see any of your classmates having trouble then help them. Let me make one thing clear." Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously, pinning them all to their seats. "I will not tolerate racism, bigotry or any other kind of bullying. If I see anyone picking on someone else, I will kick their arse. Not figuratively, I mean I will _literally _throw you to the ground and kick the shite out of you then make you apologise before allowing you to find your own way to the Hospital Wing. Be it in this classroom or out on the grounds, that is what'll happen to anyone who thinks themselves better than others."

Harry folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "As Professor Dumbledore has seemingly forgotten the fact that as an Inquisitor, most of what I know of combat is either highly restricted or too far above your level, I'm at a bit of a conundrum. I have a number of civilian level duelling spells I can teach you as well as the standard N.E.W.T. level spells but for the next two years, assuming you last that long, we'll be focusing more on practical skill and not the amount of spells you can use. If the class shows sufficient skill, I _may_ move you onto spells used by Aurors but I doubt you'll advance that far."

There was an overly loud snort and everyone's eyes were drawn to a pale, skinny boy with slicked back platinum blonde hair and grey eyes who sat upon one of the padded chair like it were a throne. The boy looked at Harry with distain and a good dose of superiority to which Harry raised one black eyebrow.

"You, the pasty one who looks like he just swallowed Dragon shite, what's your name?" The non-Slytherins in the class laughed at the stunned look on Malfoy's face before it was replaced by a scowl of contempt.

"Draco Malfoy, Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy." He said with clear pompousness, looking as if he expected Harry to fall to his knees in reverence. If he was, he was going to be disappointed.

"Well then, Mr Malfoy, do you have something to add?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Malfoy's grey eyes seemed to look down his nose at Harry. "I was just wondering how on Earth Dumbledore expects us to learn anything from someone younger that the students he'll be teaching. Obviously you're not _that _strong; you've been told to stay in a school and not help the Aurors like a _proper _Inquisitor. If I had to guess, I'd say you were only put here to get you out of the way of the adults."

The class gasped at Malfoy's guts at saying that to a teacher. Malfoy himself didn't look too concerned as he sat there with a victorious smirk on his face. The smirk quickly gave way to a look of fear when Harry reached into his coat sleeve, right where you'd keep a wand. The class drew a collective breath as Harry started to withdraw his hand, wondering if they were just about to witness their teacher killing the boy.

Harry's hand slid from the sleeve, his black Basilisk hide wand holster clutched in his hand. He held it up for all the class to see before he chucked it to the floor a few feet away from him, too far to retrieve in a hurry. Harry once again folded his arms across his chest as he stared levelly at Malfoy.

"Curse me."

Every set of eyes in the room widened in shock, none more than Malfoy's who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What!?" The youngest Malfoy squawked.

"Curse me." Harry repeated as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "You say I must not be that powerful. I'm giving you a free chance to prove it."

Draco glanced at the other students in the class before regaining some of his bluster. He slowly began to draw his wand from his robes, eyes watching Harry to see if he'd make a scramble for his discarded wand but the Boy-Who-Lived just sat there patiently.

Quickly, Malfoy pulled his wand and pointed it right at Harry. "_Ric--_"

Before he could utter another syllable, a bright blue spell slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards, his heavy chair crashing to the ground. Malfoy flew over the heads of the stunned group of Sixth Years, tumbling through the air before landing painfully on the hard floor of the room. Groggily, he tried to rise to his feet but faster than anyone could see, Harry had crossed the room, hoisted Malfoy into the air and slammed him into the wall beside the door, pinning him a foot above the ground by his throat.

Draco gasped as his air supply was cut off by the strong hand steadily crushing his windpipe. He thrashed like mad but Harry's hand didn't lose it's grip nor did his arm waver under the weight of the sixteen year old he held in the air.

The class sat in a stunned silence as their professor applied a bit more pressure, making Draco's face become a dark purple, the veins around his eyes standing out taunt. None where sure if they should step in and many were afraid that if they should, they would be the next ones with a hand to their throat.

Harry turned to them, ignoring the desperate thrashing of the boy in front of him. "As you can see, I'm far stronger than the average Hogwarts student. For the greater part of my life, I was taught how to fight and how to kill. When many of you were still playing with dolls, I was learning how to torture a prisoner for information. While you were making wish lists for Santa at Christmas, I was travelling through some of the most lawless, depraved places on Earth, mingling with the worst sort of people. When you were little you planned sleepovers. When I was little, I was participating in raids against camps of homicidal Dark Wizards, killing any I came across. It's my job and I'm damn good at it."

He turned back to Malfoy, who was beginning to blackout. "I will let you off this time, Mr Malfoy, but don't you ever try to use my age against me ever again. You'll find I don't respond well to such things. Understood?"

Malfoy barely had enough oxygen in his brain to understand but still managed a sluggish nod.

"Good."

Harry released Malfoy and the boy dropped to the floor in a heap, coughing, shocking and gasping as he tried to refill his lungs with air. Draco's watering grey eyes watched Harry walk back to where he dropped his wand.

Harry strapped the holster to his forearm once more and waited for Malfoy to stagger back to his seat. He took pity on the boy and snapped his fingers, making the heavy chair right itself. When the blonde collapsed into the chair, Harry turned to the class, who were still stunned.

"If there are no more questions?" Silence. "Good. Now we'll move onto the actual lesson."

With another snap of his fingers, a large jar of spiders appeared next to him, spinning lazily in midair. He vaguely noticed a tall redhead whimper in his seat but ignored it. Pulling the lid off, Harry extracted one spider from the jar before it vanished once more. "Who can tell me the names of the three Unforgivable Curses?"

Immediately a hand shot up and Harry pointed to the bushy haired girl attached to it. "You Miss…"

"Granger."

"Miss Granger, if you'd give us their names." Harry requested.

She took a breath before saying, "The three Unforgivables are _Avada Kedavra, Crucio, _and _Imperio. _The use of any one of them will land you a life sentence in Azkaban_._"

Harry nodded. "Ten points to Gryffindor, well done. Now can anyone tell me what these curses actually do?"

Hermione's hand shot up again but Harry opted for the redhead who whimpered earlier. "Name?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Mr Weasley, what does the Imperius Curse do?"

"It makes a person do what you want."

"A simple way of putting it but there's more to it, take five points. The Imperius Curse gives the caster full control over the target provided they have enough skill to actually cast the spell and sufficient will power to maintain it. Watch."

Harry cast an Enlargement Charm on the spider until it became the size of a dinner plate and had to smirk at the small yelp Weasley gave upon seeing it. For the student's sake, he drew his wand before pointing it at the spider and incanting, "_Imperio._"

Immediately the spider sprung to life. Jumping off his hand, Harry ordered it to do an intricate series of gymnastics before moving onto it performing _Riverdance. _The class all laughed at the amusing antics of the creature, even Ron with his phobia. Only Harry didn't laugh and when he spoke his voice seemed to drain the cheer from the room better than any Dementor.

"The very fact that you find this funny sickens me. This is just a small example of what the Imperius is capable of but what if I showed you the full extent? I could have this spider drown itself, devour it's own young or throw itself down one of your throats or any number of other things. What if this were a person? What if it was one of you? All it would take is a second and I could have this entire class as slaves to my will. If I wanted to, I could have you walk through this school, killing anyone you came across. Friends, Housemates, teachers, _siblings._ I could make you do any number of distasteful things that would have you executed and you entire line shunned forever. There is a very good reason this is called an 'Unforgivable'. Remember it." He watched them all look down at their feet, shamefaced.

Moving on, Harry asked. "Does anyone else know what the Cruciatus Curse does?" A number of hands went up, this time more hesitantly. "You, with the black hair, name?"

"Tracey Davis."

"Miss Davis, what does the Cruciatus do?"

"It's a torture curse. It causes the victim a tremendous amount of pain and can even drive a person mad if exposed long enough." She said quietly.

Harry nodded, missing a podgy boy at the side wince at the description. "Ten points to Slytherin. Yes, the Cruciatus is used to torture people and can cause lasting damage to a person if exposed long enough." He turned to the spider who danced on, unaware of what was about to happen.

"_Crucio._"

The red beam hit the spider and it immediately crumpled to the floor, leg's twitching madly as the curse wracked it's body. Harry didn't have the curse active for more than ten seconds before a voice called out.

"Stop it!"

Harry's eyes snapped to Granger, who was looking worriedly at another Gryffindor who was clutching at the armrest of his chair tightly, his eyes scrunched shut.

Concerned, Harry ended the curse, leaving the spider to roll tiredly onto it's feet. He looked to the class who were all staring at him in horror. "_That_ is the Cruciatus Curse. It's obvious why it's an Unforgivable so let's move on. Can anyone tell me what the final curse does?"

Slowly, a hand raised itself into the air. They all knew what was about to happen.

"Miss Granger?"

She took a calming breath before answering. "The last curse is the Killing Curse."

Harry nodded and spoke quietly. "Very good, another ten points. The _Avada Kedavra_; the Killing Curse. It instantly kills the victim leaving no marks or wounds of any kind. It's instantaneous and painless. There is no shield spell in existence which can counter it and no one has ever survived it. No one but me." He sighed. "I know why Riddle's curse backfired and no I won't tell you. Not only is it personal, it would be of no practical use to any of you so forget it."

They watched as he turned to the spider once more. The arachnid, seemingly sensing what was coming, tried to scamper out the window but Harry's wand tracked it before he spoke.

"_Avada Kedavra_."

The room was filled with green light and a second later, the spider hit the floor, dead. The class sat in silence as Harry put away his wand after Banishing the corpse. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "The three Unforgivables. _Avada Kedavra, Crucio _and _Imperio._ These three spells alone can make a man into a monster. They are so named because of not only their effects but also the addictive feeling that accompanies them. Acts once considered unthinkable suddenly become reality when a Witch or Wizard falls for the power these curses can give and it is through this that Heretics are created. Even if the initial use is for a good cause, the instant the spell leaves your wand, the corrosive effects take hold and it is for that reason that Inquisitors alone, who are trained from a young age to resist these effects, are permitted use of the three Unforgivables. Even then the effects are difficult to resist."

He turned from the class and began to slowly make his way towards the door. His next words were so cold, it sent a chill down their spines.

"If I discover that anyone has ever used or attempted to use and Unforgivable for any reason then I promise you, there will be no force on this Earth that will stop me from hunting you down and cleansing that taint through the only viable option: _death_."

The door clicked shut behind Harry just as the bell went. It would be another five minutes before the students gathered their things and left the class as well.

* * *

**A/N: There you go, another chapter. Whew, two big chapters in three days! Ain't you lucky? As always: READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**PAIRING:**

**I'm sorry to announce that I'll be removing the Harems from the story, I just don't think it'll work. I'm also thinking about pulling Patience out as well. I just don't know if I'll be able to make her work. Only time will tell if I do pull her.**

_Song is P-I-M-P by 50 Cent_


	5. Insight

**Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.**

**A/N PLEASE READ: I would just like to start off by saying something. In a recent review, a reader (Now former reader) accused me of bowing to what other people wanted of my story instead of continuing on with the idea I had originally in mind. At first I tried to deny this but the more I though about it, the more I realised the reviewer was right. I had been doing what other people wanted me to do with the story instead of what I wanted. The original plan was to pair Harry with either Hermione or Ginny but a reviewer pointed out that this would be unlikely due to Harry's military background and harsh lifestyle and so I opened up to the idea of pairing him with Tonks, an Auror. This lead to me creating a poll of the girls to see who everyone else wanted Harry to be with instead of what I wanted. When I realised this, I made a choice. I would take advice, ideas and constructive criticism from reviews but I would not let them sway me from my original vision for the story.**

**With this in mind, I have decided to end the poll. I have made a choice for Harry to either be paired with Patience Kys or Daphne Greengrass (Who already held the number 1 and 2 spots in the poll anyway) and I will make a final decision before too long.**

**To the reviewer who brought this up and gave me the kick in the arse I needed (And you know who you are) I would just like to say thank you. Your review will always serve as a reminder to me as to what can happen when you allow yourself to bend to the will of others.**

**P.S. People seem to think I was going to pull my OC characters from the story. I'm not, I was just saying that I was thinking of pulling Patience out of the running for the pairing. Trust me, Bruce and Patience will be around for a while yet.**

* * *

Harry flopped down onto his bed, face first and fully clothed, with a groan of both pain and misery.

It was in this state the Patience found him.

"So how was the first day?" She asked as she leaned against the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest and an amused smirk on her full lips.

Harry didn't even lift his head to look at her. "I have seen Hell. And it is filled with children."

"It can't have been _that_ bad."

This time Harry did lift his head, if only for the express purpose of glaring at her. "It was worse. I was trying to teach some of the First Years how to perform _Expelliarmus_ so I had them divide up into pairs. One kid turned his partner's hair into goo and it took me nearly twenty minutes to get her to calm down! I tried to send her to the Hospital Wing but she wouldn't leave the class!"

Patience laughed. "So what did you do?"

Harry gave a sort of shrug. "The only thing I could do: I Disillusioned her, threw her over my shoulder and carried her to the Hospital Wing myself."

Patience shook her head. "You're a cruel man doing that to a child."

"It wasn't like she was missing an arm, it was only some goo! Why'd she make such a big fuss over it?"

She shook her head patronisingly. "This girl is just starting her school career and she doesn't want to go through the next seven years being know as the 'Goo Girl'. You don't understand kids at all, do you?"

"I do so understand kids."

"No, you don't. You might if you were one but you spend too much time trying to act like an adult."

Harry frowned. "I _am _an adult. I'm emancipated _and_ an Inquisitor."

Patience nodded as she moved further into the room. She perched herself on the edge of the bed, her dark eyes locking with Harry's. "In the eyes of the law yes, you are an adult but the fact remains that you're still young. You're one of the most mature people I know, Harry, and I have no doubt that you'll become one of the best Inquisitors around but at what cost?"

Harry rolled off the bed, away from Patience, and shrugged off his jacket. He kept his back to the Vampire as he hung the heavy garment in his cupboard. It was obvious that he was trying to tune her out but she wasn't about to stop now. This was something she had been wanting to say for a while.

"Harry I know that you don't like people commenting on your age or calling you a kid and I'd never be one to say that you're too immature or inexperienced to do anything but you _are_ still young. These are supposed to be the best years of your life and you're missing out on them."

Harry acted like he hadn't heard her as he shrugged off his shirt and changed into a more comfortable t-shirt.

Patience sighed. "Is being a kid really _that_ bad?"

"I'm _not_ a kid." Harry growled, his back still to her.

"Fine, being young then." Patience said soothingly. She wasn't usually this gentle, only allowing Harry, and on rare occasions, Bruce, to see this side of her. There wasn't much that would cause Harry to loose his temper with either her or Bruce but one of things that would was his age. Of course, he'd snap at anyone that brought it up, save Lord Rorken or maybe his old mistress, Alizabeth. She looked at him levelly, trying not to agitate him. She doubted he'd ever hurt her but a cold shoulder from him would hurt worse than any blow. "Harry, while you were in the Schola, how many friends did you have?"

She saw Harry flinch ever so slightly.

When he spoke, his voice was flat; completely devoid of emotion, like the topic meant nothing to him. "I didn't focus on it; I had my studies to worry about. Learning to be an Inquisitor didn't exactly leave me with a lot of free time."

Patience nodded. "I understand that but you must spoken to the others in your class even a little."

Harry hesitated for only a millisecond but she caught it. "I wasn't exactly…well received among my peers so I didn't make an effort to get to know them."

Patience frowned. "What do you mean?"

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Harry--"

"Enough." Harry cut her off. "It's late and I need to get some sleep. I might want you and Bruce to do some more scouting tomorrow so you should rest as well."

She sighed, hearing the dismissal in his voice. Friend or not, he was still her boss. One with a ton of responsibility on his shoulders. Getting up from the bed, she walked to the door, only to pause at the threshold and look back to where Harry still stood, his back to her as he rummaged in his cupboard. "Just do me a favour, Harry. At least _try_ to get to know some people your own age. You don't have to like them but it would do you some good if you did." Hearing no reply, Patience sighed again and left, the door closing quietly behind her.

Harry finished changing into his sleep clothes and climbed into bed, his wand and gun on the table beside him. With a thought, the candles went out, plunging the room into darkness. Harry lay awake for some time before sighing and turning over, sleep finally taking him.

* * *

Harry sat at his place at the Head Table, inhaling all caffeine within Summoning distance while casually flipping through the _Daily Prophet_. There was nothing interesting. Just a few reports of Death Eater sightings, fear mongering, _more_ thoughts on the Boy-Who-Lived rising from the dead and a notice about a sale at Florish & Blotts.

Bored, he tossed the rag aside and reached for the bacon when a shuffling sound from above drew his attention. His eyes snapped upwards and his face immediately broke into a wide grin. He raised his arm and within seconds a beautiful snowy white owl landed on it, her large amber eyes locked with his green ones.

"Good flight, Hedwig?" He asked as he stroked her soft feathers.

Learning into his touch, his faithful familiar gave a hoot of affirmation.

"You hungry?" He asked, offering her his bacon.

She gave his fingers an affectionate nibble and gratefully took the meat. He pushed the plate towards her and filled a goblet with cool water for her to drink.

He sat there contently watching his long time friend scarf her food (In a very ladylike manner of course), a small smile on his lips.

"Good morning, Harry." Professor Dumbledore said pleasantly as he sat on his own throne of a chair.

"Headmaster." Harry nodded back.

"I must say that's a marvellous creature you have there. Your owl I presume?" The old man asked as he gazed at Hedwig who returned the look, not once ceasing in her meal.

"She's my long time friend and bonded familiar, Hedwig. Hed, this is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school." Harry introduced them.

"Hello, Hedwig." Dumbledore nodded at the bird. He blinked in surprise when she nodded back with a hoot and chuckled. "Not your ordinary run-of-the-mill post owl I see."

"Of course not!" Harry exclaimed in mock outrage. "Hed's much more than those simple farm animals, aren't you girl?"

The white owl gave an affirmative hoot and stood proudly, her chest puffed out.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course. My apologies, Hedwig." He turned to Harry as he tucked into his breakfast. "How is the teaching coming along, Harry?"

Harry sighed and returned to stroking Hedwig's feathers. "To be honest, I find it boring, repetitive and rather irritating."

"Surely it can't be that bad?"

"Headmaster, the things I'm teaching mostly come from small snippets of knowledge I've discovered while pursuing my studies as an Interrogator. Many of the required coursework spells that the N.E.W.T. students need to know are so below my level that I never bothered to learn them, instead opting for more powerful versions."

"Alessandro had commented that you are a gifted protégé the likes of which he's never seen. I have faith that your students will learn a vast amount from you." Dumbledore assured. Taking a sip from his goblet, he asked, "What year have you got first today?"

"Seventh Years." Harry said. There was an unidentifiable tone to his voice when he spoke.

"Is there something wrong, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shook his head and stood. "Nothing important, Headmaster. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go get ready for my class." Leaving Hedwig to her meal, Harry left the Great Hall.

As he strode towards his class, his mind was in deep thought and if he had to tell the truth, he was slightly nervous (Although no torture or truth serum on this Earth would ever get him to admit it). This would be the first time he had people older than himself in his class. The previous students (Save Malfoy) had all still been in shock over the revelation of who and what he was to have brought up the issue but these students were nearly adults now and were in their last year of school. These exams would determine their entire lives and it was obvious that they'd be at least a little wary of being taught by someone younger than they themselves were.

His rough treatment of young Draco the day before had been not only a demonstration to the other students but also a small release of accumulated anger over people always looking down on him because of his age. Thankfully he hadn't released his _full_ amount of anger over the subject otherwise Malfoy would have been reduced to a scorch on the ground as well as the other students and a few of the surrounding classes. If this one entire class belittled him then chances were he'd go on a massacre. He had a plan to hopefully put their fears to rest. He just hoped it worked.

* * *

He was waiting for them.

One by one his oldest students entered the room, each sitting in one of the large chairs Harry had Conjured. He himself sat at a desk before the chairs, his pistol resting on the wooden surface for some intimidation.

When they were all seated, Harry stood and walked around the front of the desk, his hands in his pockets. Like the previous day, a piece of parchment and a quill appeared before one of the students, floating lazily in mid-air until it was picked up.

"Sign your names so I know who's here." Harry instructed. He let his eyes drift over the senior pupils who were all watching him with calculating eyes. He sighed. It was now or never. "As you already know, I am your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. If you haven't realised that by now then you're beyond hope. I'm aware that you've had some pretty inconsistent teachers over the years and your class time has suffered because of the so-called "curse" on this position so you haven't received the most well rounded education. Since we only have a year together I'll do my best to bring you all up to Outstanding grade N.E.W.T.'s but this will require a great deal of hard work, dedication and commitment on your part. Any questions?"

A voice from the back spoke up, a tall Ravenclaw. "Yeah, how can you teach us enough to pass N.E.W.T.'s? I mean, you're younger than we are." There were murmurs of agreement throughout the class, many worrying for their final grades this year.

The boy's tone was not mocking or scathing, only confused, and that alone stopped Harry from giving him the same treatment Draco Malfoy had received. "I know that many are worried about your final grades what with this being your last year. If I was in your shoes, I'd probably be asking the same thing. But let me ask you something. How many of you know of the Inquisition?"

Many hands went up, most belonging to those who grew up in the Wizarding World and some belonging to those who read up on the organisation the night before. "And how many of you know of the training one must go through to reach the rank of Inquisitor?"

All the hands dropped. Harry expected as much. "Then let me tell you a few things. When someone is taken in by the Inquisition they go through numerous tests. These tests are used to determine nearly everything about you. Your I.Q. is determined by a near endless amount of written tests. They check your blood to trace your ancestry to see what potential benefits your genetic history may hold. They use Legilimency to enter your mind and see what makes you tick and see if you have any natural mental defences. They lock you in a room with a Boggart to see what it is you fear most then document the findings. Your personality is assessed to see what type of person you are and what kinds of decisions you are likely to make. A multitude of medical scans are run to document every one of the illnesses you have ever suffered from the smallest cold to any genetic diseases you may carry. They put you under numerous illusions and pump you full of potions and poisons while assaulting your mind to see the strength of your will and character. These are just a few of the many tests one must go through to even be considered to serve the Inquisition but that pales in comparison to the tests one must endure to become an Inquisitor trainee."

The class hung on his every word with rapped attention, some even writing down what they were being told. This wasn't information you could just read from a book pulled from the Library. This was precious insight into the inner workings of the greatest and most secret organisation of all time. Many were shocked at the lengths the Inquisition went to for simply hiring servants and many were sickened by the invasive techniques they were hearing but their didn't understand the necessity behind it all. No one outside the Inquisition could. It was part of the reason they were so feared.

Harry's eyes looked at each of the students as he leaned against his desk, his arms folded. "The trials one must endure to become an Inquisitor trainee are some of the most trying and torturous tests anyone has even endured. These tests are not designed to help you become stronger or better. They are designed to break you. The tests are designed to push every single part of you to the breaking point. They force you to become the best. They force you to survive. Those who fail these tests either die, go mad or worse. Only the strongest, most intelligent, most resourceful trainees survive this training." His voice was quiet, his mind lost in the memories. The class sat in horrified silence.

Harry sighed and looked up at the clear sky visible through the enchanted ceiling. "Just picture this. Out of a class of a little over four hundred potentials, only ten were chosen for the training to become an Inquisitor, one of which was myself. From those ten potentials, only four survived to become Interrogators; an Inquisitor's apprentice. Two died during a training exercise when a spell one of them had cast went out of control, killing them both. One went insane and was locked away. The last report I heard about her said that she had chewed off her own fingers. The third became careless while handling a Vietnamese Mind Leech and became the vicious plant's thrall then killed four guards before she was put down. Another lost his soul when the Dementor he had Conjured went out of control and turned on him. The last was found hanging from his bunk in his dorm. We were seven years old."

Harry paced before the class. Many of the boys looked like they were going to be sick while the girls were actually crying, their soft sniffles the only sound coming from the horrified group. The thought that _children_ had undergone such ordeals was a terrible, haunting prospect and it was almost guaranteed that a few of the more sensitive of the Seventh Years would be having nightmares tonight. What had shocked them though was Harry's reaction during his speech. His tone, while grim, remained detached. Almost…uncaring. As if the deaths of his classmates meant very little, if anything, to him. The thought made them more than a little uneasy.

They didn't know the full story though. Things had happened during the training that Harry doubted he'd ever tell anyone. Not even the instructors knew the full extent of what went on with Harry's class. With the things that had happened between him and his classmates, Harry held no love or respect for them. Hell, there had been times when he would be more than justified with killing them himself with some of the stunts they pulled.

Harry rolled his shoulder to try and work out a knot in his shoulder and stopped before the class, his face deadly serious. After a long moment he spoke. "These are the kind of things one must endure before they are entrusted with the responsibilities of an Inquisitor. An Inquisitor must be strong, both in mind and body, if they are to survive. We face some of the deadliest threats that the world has ever known, a great deal of which is kept hidden from the rest of the world for their own safety. Just like the Wizarding World would go far to keep the secret of magic from Muggles, the Inquisition would go even farther to keep it's own secrets. Many have accused us of being tyrannical, power mad murderers. This isn't true. Inquisitors are entrusted with unlimited authority because we have unlimited responsibility. We have an ongoing mission to protect the world from any threat and, while the methods some Inquisitors use can be called into question, this duty is entrusted to only the most dedicated individuals. I won't lie. There have been cases where an Inquisitor has gone too far or become lost in their own power and have been declared Heretics but fortunately these are rare occurrences."

Harry Conjured a glass of water, his throat parched after so much talking. The class were quiet as he drained the glass, lost in their own thoughts. Harry set the glass down with a satisfied sigh. Finished, he turned back to the seated teenagers before him. "I hope know that you have an idea of my training and qualifications, your fears for your education have been eased. Now, we've spent enough time talking. I'm going to Conjure dummies and I want you to attempt to non-verbally cast the Constrictor Curse…"

* * *

Later that night, Harry sat in the common room of their quarters reading a list of previous attacks by Death Eaters, listed by both date and location. Bruce was in Hogsmade for a few rounds and Patience was once more on the hunt so he was all by himself. He was almost done reading when the Perimeter Charm on the portrait that guarded the door chimed, announcing a visitor. Harry set aside the parchment and strode over to the portrait hole and opened it to see Professor McGonagall standing on the other side, as prim as always.

"Good evening, professor." Harry greeted, leaning against the wall.

"Inquisitor." She nodded. "The Headmaster has asked that I collect you and bring you to the meeting."

Harry was confused. "Meeting?"

"The first week staff meeting, Inquisitor. The first Friday after the students return is when the teachers meet to discuss the coming school year and bring up any problems." McGonagall said.

"Oh. Lead on then." Harry followed her out into the corridor and towards the Headmaster's office. He had left his coat in his room and was now clad in an open waistcoat over his shirt, the top few buttons of which were undone. Without the heavy Basilisk hide coat, you could now easily see the shoulder harness that held the underarm holster for his pistol and the Basilisk hide wand holster strapped to his left forearm. You could also see more of his strong frame without the bulky garment covering it up. His shirt stretched over his wide shoulders and his sleeves strained slightly against the muscles in his arms.

Honestly, it was the closest thing to casual McGonagall had ever seen on him. Granted this was the second day she'd seen him since he was a child but still…

"I must say," McGonagall observed as they walked through the corridors. "That was a rather…_unique_ portrait you have guarding your quarters. I don't believe I've ever seen it around the school."

Harry smirked, knowing what she was talking about. When the Inquisitorial group arrived at Hogwarts the day before, their common room was guarded by a portrait of an old scribe who was rather irritatingly near deaf. Harry had been quick to remove the damn thing after they spent five minutes shouting the password before they could get in. Now there was a simple painting of deepest black. Even more unique was the fact that the frame was a dark iron with bolts instead of the detailed wooden frames of other portraits. Harry only told Patience and Bruce the password and only he could change it. Of course he had also added a few surprises for people who tried to enter without the proper password. Harry found it funny that the occupants of the other portraits refused to walk through the new frame, instead opting to take the long way.

"Yes well the portrait that Professor Dumbledore provided was rather deficient so I chose to replace it. I think it'll suit it purposes." Harry shrugged.

McGonagall looked slightly irritated. "The portrait's occupant seemed rather…_confrontational_."

Harry chuckled. "He's just dedicated to his job."

The old Scotswoman 'hmm-ed' disbelievingly but said nothing as the Gargoyle statue guarding the Headmaster's office drew near.

"Mars Bar." She said briskly.

The stone creature shifted aside and allowed them to step onto the revolving staircase as it whirled up towards the office door. Harry wouldn't admit it but he thought this particular means of getting into someone's office was rather cool. It was what inspired the staircase in his own classroom leading to his office.

Since they were expected, McGonagall ignored the Griffin head knocker and pushed the door open. The office hadn't changed at all since Harry had last visited it during the summer. Same portraits watching them. Same bookcases filled with tomes. Same little silver instruments that the old man had used to monitor Privet Drive during Harry's incarceration there although they were now moving which meant that they were keyed to another set of Wards now. It was easy to tell; Harry had the exact same instruments.

Dumbledore sat behind his impressive desk, the teachers seated before him as well as Umbridge who sat with the little check board Harry had seen her clutching nearly the whole time he'd been at the school.

"Ah, Minerva, Harry, thank you for coming." Dumbledore nodded to them, his patented gleam in his eyes. He waited for the two of them to sit before continuing. "As is tradition we meet today to discuss our latest batch of pupils and to bring up any issues which anyone has been thinking about. So, how has everyone's classes been?"

McGonagall started things off. "My classes started off as they usually do. The students are a little distracted having just come back from holiday and I have had to tell more than one person to get on with their work. Beyond that there's nothing to be said, although we have just been back for two days. I expect any problems to occur next week."

A tiny professor seated on numerous pillows tool up where McGonagall left off. "That's pretty much the same as my classes. No problems to speak of but check back next week and see."

A short but strong looking woman in grubby overalls spoke up next. This seemed to be the standard pattern. "Not much to say." She shrugged. "The most trouble we had in Herbology so far is probably when a young Hufflepuff neglected his earmuffs when we were re-potting the baby Mandrakes." She shook her head. "There's always one every year…"

A tall, pallid man with dangerously greasy looking hair spoke next, his tone conveying nothing but extreme boredom. "Somehow there have been no disasters so far this year but with the usual dunderheads that swamp the school every year I wouldn't expect it to last long. The biggest problem would have to be one of the Gryffindors who sabotaged a girl's potion. I have taken House Points and issued him a detention accordingly."

"Actually, Severus, I spoke to that particular student already as well as the girl who's concoction he knocked over. They both swear it was an accident and the girl repaired her phial and simply refilled it with another dose of her potion so there was no harm done. I restored the House Points and revoked the detention although I did deduct 5 points for carelessness." McGonagall interrupted, her eyes daring the man to challenge her.

He looked like he was going to retort but Dumbledore cut him off. "Well, let's hope that is the biggest disaster we have this year." He said with a smile before prompting the next teacher to continue.

They all reported their year so far, each as bland as the last. For a school full of rambunctious teens, Hogwarts was pretty boring so far. _'If my entire year is like this, I'll kill myself.'_ Harry thought, only his years in the Inquisition allowing him to keep his attention on the meeting.

When the Flying Instructor, Madam Hooch, finished her report, it was Harry's turn. The teachers looked towards their youngest and newest colleague, wondering how the week went for him. Harry stretched his legs out in front of him, working out the stiffness in them as he answered. "Nothing big to report on my end. A few minor bumps here and there." Harry shrugged.

Apparently Dumbledore had been expecting this and said, "I have been hearing stories about your classes from the other students, Harry. They seem to be the talk of the school. I was wondering if you could elaborate on them for us?"

"I can try."

"Tell us about when you assaulted one of my students." The greasy haired man shot in.

The other teacher's eyebrows rose at that and quite a few looked at Harry reprovingly.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the man. Deciding to get answers to his questions first, Harry asked, "And who might you be?"

It was Dumbledore who answered. "This is Severus Snape. He's our resident Potions Master as well as Head of Slytherin House. There is also Minerva McGonagall; out Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor House. Pomona Sprout, our Herbology teacher and Head of Hufflepuff House. Filius Flitwick, our Charms teacher and Head of Ravenclaw House…"

He continued around the group, introducing all the different teachers (Umbridge seemed miffed at being left out.). When all were introduced, Dumbledore brought them back to the discussion at hand. "Now that we're all acquainted, I'd also like to hear about your infamous first class, Harry."

Seeing that he wasn't going to avoid the talk without argument, Harry began. "It was my first class and I had the Sixth Year Gryffindors and Slytherins. I had just finished speaking to the class about how the next year would play out when Mr Malfoy spoke up. He asked how I would be able to teach them anything as I was, in his words, "not _that_ strong" or a "proper Inquisitor" and that I must have been stationed here to…how did he say it again? Ah yes, "keep me out of the way of the adults". Hearing this, I chose to give Mr Malfoy a chance to test me and see if I was able to teach the class, a test which he failed."

"You Cursed him then proceeded to strangle him!" Snape accused, causing some of the other teachers to gasp.

"I _Disarmed _him then _subdued _him, Severus." Harry corrected.

"Harry, you should not have done that." Dumbledore said disappointedly. "If young Mr Malfoy was causing a disturbance then you should have given him a detention and spoken to his Head of House. Physical violence will solve nothing."

Harry smirked. "I don't know, by the look on his face he's not likely to do it again anytime soon."

"That doesn't matter. If you use such heavy handed methods then the people will perceive you as some kind of a loose cannon." Albus warned.

Harry snorted. "You'll find that I care very little for how the masses perceive me, Dumbledore. Let them think what they want to think."

Dumbledore wasn't going to let this go however. "Harry, part of the reason your identity was decided was so that the Wizarding population would feel safer and more reassured. If you start displaying Dark tendencies then many may feel uncomfortable with your part in the war."

Harry laughed loudly. "You think _that _was Dark? Believe me, I've seen Dark and what happened in the classroom could be considered extremely Light compared to that. Remember, Dumbledore, there is no Light or Dark, only magic and how one uses it."

Dumbledore's face drained of colour, becoming as white as his beard before he managed to force it into a neutral expression. Harry's words were eerily reminiscent of Voldemort's favourite philosophy, "There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.".

He took a steadying breath. "That…is a very disturbing way of thinking, Harry. It is our actions who define who we are. If you do not start displaying some restraint then I fear you may fall down a path from which there is no return."

Harry looked unconcerned. "I have restraint; I wouldn't be an Inquisitor if I didn't. What I lack is patience to deal with coddled sheep who don't understand what it means to fight a war. Just because the public doesn't want to acknowledge the ugliness of the real world doesn't mean I'll go out of my way to dance to their tune. I'll do my job in the manner I deem appropriate and it no one like it then too bad."

"I think we're getting a little off topic here." McGonagall interrupted the impending debate before turning to Harry. "But I would also like to hear about this famed first class."

Harry shrugged and continued. "After the incident with Mr Malfoy, I then proceeded with the lesson. The topic was the Unforgivables, their effects and the punishment for using them. I Conjured a spider then placed it under each of the three Curses before Vanishing it. By the time I was done the class was over."

"You performed the Unforgivables in front of students!?" Umbridge screeched and for once the other teachers looked to be in agreement with her, even McGonagall.

Dumbledore was deeply concerned by this revelation. If Harry was actively using the Unforgivables then what would that mean for his alignment? There was a high probability that if Harry would use spells as Dark as the Unforgivables then he could also possibly use other, more insidious practices as well. If so, then he could become a far greater threat than Voldemort ever was. That could not happen. Harry would need careful guidance to ensure he remained a child of the Light. "That is some very disconcerting news, Harry. Using the Unforgivables would only lead you to ruin. I sincerely hope that you don't make it a habit to use spells of their calibre regularly?"

Harry knew the old man was trying to sway him to his own far more passive way of thinking but was having none of it. "Headmaster, not that it's really any of your business, but as it so happens the Unforgivables are some of the most basic required spells we are taught in the Inquisition. If you couldn't perform them then it was guaranteed that you wouldn't be able to handle the rest of the training. They are to the Inquisition what Stunners are to you and as such are some of the most basic but necessary tools in our arsenal." Seeing that Dumbledore was gearing up for another 'purity' debate, Harry cut him off. "We're not here to discuss the Inquisition so let's continue. Does anyone else have any questions regarding my class?"

"I do as a matter of fact." The tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked up. "Is there any reason why two of my Seventh Year girls had to receive Calming Draughts after bursting into the Hospital Wing in tears after your class today?"

That actually caused Harry to grimace. "I'm sorry for that. I was trying to waylay the concerns the Seventh Years were feeling over having someone as young as myself teaching them and I admit I may have revealed some of the Inquisition's more brutal teaching methods. I tried to play it down enough as to not startle some of the more sensitive students. Obviously I failed. I'm sorry Professor."

Flitwick nodded in acceptance. "After taking their potions they calmed down and I had a talk with them after dismissing them from classes for the day. Just do me a favour and try to be a little more tactful in future?"

"I'll do my best." Harry said sincerely and he meant it too. He didn't usually have to deal with people as emotional as teenagers or children what with most of the circles he ran in being comprised of battle hardened warriors and deranged criminals. He glanced towards the clock and saw that he needed to end this meeting now. He stood from his chair while saying to Dumbledore, "If you'll excuse me, I'm afraid I need to take my leave. I have an important matter to attend to at the Ministry and I need to get there before it closes."

Dumbledore looked like he wanted to say more to Harry but reluctantly nodded before Harry turned and left.

He walked through the castle, passing Filch and his cat, before making it back to the Inquisitorial group's lodgings. As he came within range of the Black Portrait guarding the rooms there was movement.

From within the darkness of the painting, a low red light sparked to life. The light grew and flowed until the painting's occupant stood before Harry. A red demon made of light stood guard over the entrance, the thing's entire body edged in light making it seem like some deranged silhouette. Ridges and spines dotted it's illuminated exoskeleton and a pair of burning red eyed shone from beneath a pair of great curved horns. The whole effect was a rather imposing to say the least.

"_Password."_ The monster rasped in a haunting duel-toned voice stuck somewhere between man and beast. If Harry hadn't created the painting himself and therefore knew everything there was to know about it the creature would have sent a chill down his spine.

"Pain is an illusion of the senses, despair an illusion of the mind." Harry intoned. Given the nature of his work, the resourcefulness of his enemies and the natural paranoia that came with being a Dark Wizard hunter, Harry chose to forgo passwords for pass phrases taken directly from the dogma of the Inquisition training manuals. Only those inside the Inquisition would know them and even then there were thousands of such phrases and quotes that would make simply guessing the password virtually impossible.

Recognising the password, the demonic portrait slung open to admit it's creator and Harry promptly stepped into the common room. It appeared that neither Patience nor Bruce had returned yet so Harry left them a quick note explaining his absence. He then swung his coat around his shoulders and grabbed his cane before walking over to the large fireplace and grabbing a pinch of the green powder from the small urn on the mantle. With Wards and runes being two of his chosen specialities, it was rather simple to slip his own private, secure Floo route from inside the castle. The Wards around the old school were extremely old and strong but not invincible. With age comes ware and with how long the Hogwarts Wards had gone without a recharge, it proved rather easy to slip a route out and set up a few security procedures along the way. Thankfully while it was easy for a master Wardsmith to burrow a way out of Hogwarts, it was infinitely more difficult to try to bore their way inside, bordering on the impossible.

With this knowledge in mind, Harry tossed the magical powder into the flames a moment before following while saying, "Ministry of Magic Atrium."

Numerous fireplaces flashed before his eyes before he stepped out into the large main reception of the Ministry of Magic. Pausing momentarily to lighten his hair to a more chestnut colour and change his eyes to a stormy grey while concealing his scar, Harry marched towards the lifts with a purpose. He managed to catch one just as it emptied and pressed the button before anyone else could get in with him.

The second the doors clattered closed, Harry went to work. His cane shrunk in his hand until it was the size of a toothpick which was then placed safely in one of his inner coat pockets. Reaching into his sleeve, he withdrew his wand, grasping it firmly in his hand. There was a good chance Riddle would have his people watching this particular section of the Ministry and if so then he would be prepared.

Tapping the wand to his head once, Harry cast a powerful Disillusionment Charm followed by a Notice-Me-Not Charm rendering him almost completely invisible to all but the most attentive viewers. He had just finished when the doors slid open once more, a soothing female voice announcing the floor.

"Level Nine: The Department of Mysteries."

Harry slid from the lift silent as a spectre, staying close to the walls as he stealthily made his way into the Department. It was deathly silent but his steps made not a sound, his breathing calm and controlled. He slipped from shadow to shadow, never seeing or hearing any sound other than his own shallow breathing. It wasn't long before he reached the door he was looking for.

He cracked the door open a touch and peeked through into a circular room with a dozen doors identical to the one he was looking through arraigned around the wall. He stepped through, closing the door behind him.

The second it snapped shut, everything shifted. The walls revolved at blurring speed, the doors forming a single black bar as the walls spun. Harry calmly waited for them to stop before reaching into his coat and pulling from it his rosette. He approached the door directly in front of him and grasped the handle then tapped the rosette with the tip of his wand and from the bottom slid a small skeleton key. Harry slid the badge-cum-key into the lock and gave it a twist, hearing a satisfying click.

He opened the door enough to see through into the room beyond, his sharp eyes scanning area. The room was long and rectangular, lit by lamps hung low on golden chains from the ceiling. The room was fairly bare save for a few desks surrounding an enormous tank in the centre of the room. The tank was filled with a deep green liquid in which swam what looked like a number of giant brains. _'Stray Thoughts.'_ Harry observed idly, having recognised the creatures from his studies.

Not finding what he was looking for, Harry closed the door but this time the room did not move. One of the special features of a rosette is it's ability to act as a skeleton key for nearly any and every kind of lock there is, providing the Inquisitor with near unlimited access to wherever he needs to go. Mentally marking the door's position, Harry moved onto the next one and cracked it open a bit.

The first thing to register was the ticking. Alone, the sound of a clock ticking might be normal, if a little annoying after a while, but the sheer amount of ticks made the room give off a near deafening crescendo that made it hard to concentrate. The second thing that registered was the beautiful, dancing sparkled light that illuminated the room, revealing the cause of the noise to be a completely inordinate amount of clocks that adorned nearly every surface available. At the far end of the room was a giant bell jar that seemed to contain a swirling wind through which flew a tiny hummingbird. Harry watched as it flew upwards in the jar, getting bigger and more mature as it ascended before it seemed to grow old and fall towards the ground only to be encased in an egg from which a baby hummingbird once more took flight. Off to one side was a glass fronted case filled with hourglasses in various sizes. _'This must be the Time Room.'_

Third time proved to be lucky when the next door he opened led into a large, cavernous chamber filled with row upon row of shelves upon which sat thousands of glass spheres filled with a mystical blue substance.

'_Bingo.'_ Harry thought victoriously. He slipped inside, silently closing the door behind him. His eyes scanned the numerous shelves. The small plaque on the side of the shelf pronounced that he now stood between rows 56 and 57. The question was, how was he going to find what he was looking for in all this?

A noise caught his notice and he slipped backwards into the shadows as an old hunched man clad in heavy robes designed to ward off the cold of the room shuffled from on of the aisles, his nose buried in a thick tome. He muttered to himself as he walked, his gnarled finger sliding down the pages, obviously looking for something.

Deciding not to let a good opportunity go to waste, Harry waited until the man hobbled past and levelled his wand at his back. "_Imperio_." The young soldier mumbled inaudibly.

The second the spell hit him, the man went slack, the heavy tome falling from his loose fingers. Harry's wand gave a twitch and the book landed silently. Another twitch and a Privacy Field encased the man as Harry moved up behind him, his green eyes scanning the darkness for any movement.

"What's your name?" Harry asked him.

"Whilimont Belbuam." The old man croaked, his eyes unfocused.

"What's your occupation?"

"I'm the Curator for the Hall of Prophesy in the Department of Mysteries but I'm commonly known as an Unspeakable."

"Is there anyone else here tonight?"

"No, everyone leaves early on a Friday but I stay late. I like the quiet."

"So the only people in this Department are me and you?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Do you know the location of all the Prophesies in this room?"

"Yes."

"Where is the Prophesy for Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort?"

Even under Harry's complete control, the man still managed a shudder and a whimper at the name. "R-Row 97."

"Thank you. Now, Whilimont, I want you to take your book and go to the bathroom and don't come back for ten minutes. When you walk away from here you'll forget we ever had this conversation or that anyone was ever here, understood?"

"Yes."

"Then go." Harry removed the Privacy Field and watched Belbaum pick up his heavy book and trot off down the Hall before vanishing around one of the shelves. When he was out of sight, Harry swept down the rows of shelves as quiet as death itself, his eyes counting off the aisles until he reached number 97. His eyes scanned the rows of spheres until he saw the one he wanted.

_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

_Dark Lord_

_And (?) Harry Potter_

"Come to Papa." Harry muttered with a slight smile. He knew that the protections on the Prophesies meant that only those they were created for could touch them. Even the Wizard who put up the protections couldn't remove them after they had gone up. He fished around in his pocket for a moment before withdrawing a sphere identical to the one before him which contained a little message from him to Tom should the Dark Lord manage to penetrate the Ministry again. Biting his tongue, Harry reached out, his hand hovering over the real Prophesy and with cat like speed, swapped the real one for the fake. He held his breath for a moment, waiting to see if any giant boulders came rumbling after him but apparently that only happened in Indiana Jones films because no such trap was triggered.

Harry grinned and tucked the Prophesy safely away in his pocket. It would have to be destroyed soon and in a way that would prove impossible for Riddle to recover. He had a few ideas of how to go about it, each more spectacular and overdramatic than the last.

His task complete, he left the Department of Mysteries as silently as he came.

* * *

Many miles away, concealed behind some of the strongest, deadliest and most obscure Wards around lay a expansive manor house surrounded by vast grounds filled with neatly trimmed hedges, bubbling fountains and paved paths. It was bordered on all sides by a tall perimeter wall built to withstand intense physical and magical assaults. The design was early Victorian in nature with every ledge, balcony and arch speaking of the profound worth of the owner. The interior was no different and I possible, even grander. Hardwood floors polished to a mirror sheen lay covered by lush Persian rugs of deep red. The walls were a light cream with varnished wooden borders and the fixtures were made of the finest silver available. Expensive artworks dotted the walls and small ornate tables arranged in the long corridors held exquisitely carved statues and other collector's pieces. With three floors, a large wine cellar, wide ballrooms and many more wonderful additions, the manor was truly a marvel.

Not exactly the place you'd expect to serve as the command centre of a group of sadistic, murderous Dark Wizards.

In the centre of the largest, and therefore most magnificent, ballroom sat a large throne carved from deep black wood with a high back and overstuffed cushions that looked completely out of place amongst the grandeur of the rest of the house. The tormented skulls that were carved into the wood had magically enchanted wooden snakes that would slither through empty sockets and out of silently screaming jaws and made the thing look like a seat fit for Lucifer himself.

And perched on this grotesque piece of furniture sat a creature that had once been called man but had become twisted and mutated in his quest to gain immortality.

Lord Voldemort, once known as the charming but reclusive Tom Riddle, sat with his chin propped up on his fist, his crimson orbs gazing out of the large windows into the black night beyond the glass.

He had changed since his rebirth. Once he was naught but a shadow before the rat Wormtail found him and, with much guidance from Voldemort himself, created for the Dark Lord a stunted Homunculus body to inhabit which was sustained through a mix of Unicorn blood and milk from his faithful Nagini. When his plans came to fruition at the apex of the TriWizard Tournament, Voldemort had finally regained his true form but was weak and emancipated from the rigours of the rebirthing process. He had been skinny and tired easily but a few months had changed that.

What was once frail and weak was now strong and powerful. He had gained more weight and muscle mass and no longer looked like a strong gust of wind could break him in half. Despite being in his seventies his body was as strong as it had been in his prime, if not more so. Underneath his midnight black robes he wore armour cut from an ancient Hungarian Horntail that had been many centuries old and had absorbed much magic from the old reptile.

As he stared out into the night his mind worked tirelessly. His thoughts ranged from plans for attacks to ideas on how to undermine the Ministry and so forth but the biggest matter that had been revolving in the twisted mind of Tom Riddle was the news he had read in the _Daily Prophet_ a day before.

Harry Potter.

It was a name that meant much to the powerful Wizard. A special boy; a Prophesised child, it was young Harry that had lead to his downfall all those years ago. He had sought to remove the one threat to his rule and hunted the Potter family down to their home in Godric's Hollow after being informed of their location by the turncoat Wormtail. Upon arrival he had immediately dispatched Potter Sr. after a short confrontation. He had followed the child's wailing upstairs where the young Mudblood Evans had attempted to barricade the door.

He had quickly done away with those defences and in moments was stood before the woman who in turn stood before her son, shielding him from harm. She had begged and pleaded for her son's life, offering her own instead even after he warned her to move. Growing tired of her pleas, he done away with her with a point blank Killing Curse before advancing on the boy.

He thought it would have been so easy. Just a few syllables and then his rule would be cemented forever. He had not, however, counted on the resourcefulness of Lily Potter. For a Mudblood the girl possessed a sharp mind. Her sacrifice had ensured that her offspring was protected by ancient magics that he himself had not foreseen. The powerful protections turned his Curse back on him and he fled, wounded and weak.

He had been pretty out of touch during his exile in Albania so he hadn't heard the news but fortunately Wormtail filled him in on everything that had happened during his absence.

He had honestly been shocked by the news that the Boy-Who-Lived as they were apparently calling him was missing presumed dead. The one person who had presented the biggest threat to him had simply vanished, gone like smoke in the wind. Te be honest he felt a little cheated.

But now everything was different. Word had reached him both from that rag the _Prophet_ and the sons of his loyal Death Eaters. Harry was alive but that wasn't even the most shocking part. He was not only alive but a fully fledged Inquisitor even at the tender age of sixteen which spoke much of the skill and power he must wield to be able to join that elite cadre of hunters. Voldemort had mixed feelings about this. On one hand he was eager to see how powerful Harry really was and on the other he was admittedly the tiniest bit anxious, though he would kill anyone who dared insinuate it.

He had fought Inquisitors during his previous rise to power and he freely admitted that they were formidable opponents. If young Harry was as powerful as he appeared to be at this age, what kind of a threat did he pose?

He was broken from his inner musings by the sound of the large double doors opening and his gaze slid from the window to the black robed from making it's way towards him. The Death Eater stopped ten feet from the foot of the throne on bended knee where he removed his skull faced mask and lay it before him.

"Ah, welcome home, Severus." Voldemort greeted his slippery spy. "I trust you bring me news?"

"Yes, my Lord." Snape said, keeping his black eyes on the base of the throne. "I haven't heard much from the Order meetings but there have been some developments. Apparently the guarding of the Prophesy has been cut back now that the Ministry is aware of your return as Dumbledore believes that you wouldn't dare attack now. There is also talks about inducting new--"

"Severus," Riddle's cold voice stopped him dead. The vicious Dark Lord clasped his hands and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees as he stared down at his servant who had gone very still. "We both know what it is I what to know about so I suggest you stop stalling before I lose my patience."

Though his tone hadn't changed, Snape shuddered at the threat and quickly gave in. "My Lord, as you already know the Potter brat has been brought in to defend the school and teach the students."

"Yes, I am aware of this." Voldemort nodded as he stood. Snape tensed as the pale man began to circle him, his arms folded across his armoured chest and his red eyes burning into Snape's greasy skull. "What is he like, Severus? What is his personality like? How does he carry himself? Tell me of Harry Potter."

Snape was quick to oblige. "My Lord, he seems rather self-assured and every bit as arrogant as his father."

"Of course, you would say that about anyone of Potter stock." Voldemort observed with a smirk.

Snape continued. "Up until now I haven't seen him fight but I have seen him carrying a Muggle weapon and he is often in the company of a Vampire and even a Muggle."

Voldemort's hairless eyebrows shot up at that. "A Muggle? How could he have brought one of those _things _onto Hogwarts grounds without triggering the Wards?" He mused to himself.

"I'm not sure, my Lord, but there is more. He promises to refortify the school in the coming months and I suspect he also plans to secure Azkaban."

"What about Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked. "What's their relationship like?"

Snape actually smirked at this. "I've not seen the two interact much but from what I have seen it appears that they don't quite see eye to eye."

"How so?"

"After an incident during Potter's first class, Dumbledore raised concerns over the boy's way of thinking. The Potter brat doesn't seem to want to conform to Dumbledore's pacifistic thinking and this worries him."

"What kind of incident are we talking about exactly?" Voldemort asked, intrigued.

Snape's smirk grew. "Potter used the three Unforgivables in front of a Sixth Year class and seems to have no qualms about killing."

Voldemort stopped dead in surprise, his arms falling to his sides. He blinked a few times before a chuckle slid from his mouth and it wasn't long before it evolved into full blown laughter. When he finally managed to get himself under control, Voldemort shoot his head, an amused smile on his slit of a mouth. "So the Light's praised saviour is a killer. I doubt Dumbledore liked that."

"He was deeply concerned by it."

"I'll bet." Riddle murmured as he retook his seat, his face still holding some bemusement. The room was quiet as he processed this information, turning it over in his head as plans formed and took shape. "Severus, go and fetch Bella, Lucius and the others. We have plans to make."

"My Lord?" Snape asked, confused.

Voldemort smirked. "It _has _been sixteen years since Harry and I last saw each other. Now is as good as any time to catch up."

* * *

**BOOYAH! The action is coming up soon and Tom wants to meet Harry. What can this mean!? Read and review and I might tell you.**

**P.S. Someone pointed out that with the large amount of people taking DADA that there would be more than one Sixth Year class and I agree so I'm going to go back and change it so that it's Slytherins and Gryffindors then Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.**


	6. Hogsmeade under attack!

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

**Here for your reading pleasure is an extra long chapter of Harry Potter and the Inquisition!**

* * *

Harry sat in the office of the Minister for Magic along with Cornelius himself, Amelia Bones, Albus Dumbledore, the Warden of Azkaban, Vesner Brials and Amelia's Head Auror, Rufus Scrimgeour. Harry and Albus had arrived from Hogwarts a little over an hour ago and had called the gathering together at Harry's behest. The non-Inquisition members in the room didn't know what the conversation would be about and Harry only said that he'd discus it when the last member of the party arrived.

Exactly one hour since they had arrived, the door to the office opened and the group watched as a man entered. He was rather old and hunched, making it look as if the dark robes he wore were weighing him down. His beady eyes were frighteningly magnified by the large spectacles he wore and hanging from his neck was an emblem of the Inquisition. He shuffled into the room and, ignoring the gathered members of the British Ministry for the most part, gave Harry a respectful bow.

"Inquisitor Potter." The man croaked, his voice as rough as dry parchment. "I am Senior Requisitions Officer Halpner. I have been told that you have need of the Departmento Munitorum?"

"I do, Officer Halpner." Harry replied with a nod. He gestured for the ageing man to take the extra seat that had been set out for him and gestured towards the Ministry group. "Officer Halpner, this is the British Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, Chief Warlock Lord Dumbledore, Madam Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, her Head Auror, Rufus Scrimgeour and the Warden of Azkaban Prison, Vesner Brials. I trust the Munitorum received my missive?"

"We did. I have been sent to catalogue your requests and file them with the Munitorum. When that is done, the munitions your request will be supplied to you if possible."

Harry nodded his acceptance and thanks.

"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?" Madam Bones cut in, somewhat nervous. "What is this 'Munitorum'?"

Harry and Halpner looked at each other and the young Inquisitor motioned for the old man to do the explaining. He readjusted his glasses on his hooked nose as he spoke. "The Departmento Munitorum is the department of the Inquisition devoted to the running of administration and the general issue of munitions, supplies and manpower within the Inquisition. If an Inquisitorial force needs additional supplies that cannot be gotten elsewhere, they contact the Munitorum and we dispatch those supplies to the force immediately. We create weapons, breed creatures, manufacture drugs and medicine, built transportation, research a myriad of topics and more besides. In short; we run the Inquisitions arsenal."

"Officer Halpner is here to hear what we need to fortify Azkaban and Hogwarts against the Death Eaters." Harry added.

The Ministry group were near ecstatic. A chance to build defences for the country using creations straight from the Inquisition's forges? It was a dream come true!

Harry saw their looks and decided to curb their enthusiasm. "Don't be too excited, these defences are only on loan and your Ministry will be responsible for covering any expenses or losses incurred as a result of the conflict. You break it, you buy it."

The group deflated somewhat but was still happy with the news.

"What about the Ministry?" Scrimgeour asked. "Are we going to receive defences for here as well? I should think that would be the top priority." Fudge nodded emphatically, agreeing completely.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the lion-like man. "We're talking about fortifying a school and a prison that has lost it's guards. Are you telling me that your seat of government is incapable of defending itself even when it is considered the Headquarters of the 'Light' side in this war?"

Scrimgeour spluttered. "W-Well no but it's not that simple."

"Yes it is. Start off slow. Restrict Floo use to a few certain personnel, increase security in the Atrium, erect a few defences, screen all your employees for the Dark Mark and you'll have a good foundation to build on."

That gave them pause. They were good ideas and quite simple but could prove extremely effective.

"We'll give the matter some thought and get back to you." Madam Bones said thoughtfully.

Harry shrugged in acceptance. This was why he could never picture himself working for the Aurors or even the Hit-Wizards. Change, even if it was for the better, was very slow to come about. He was pretty sure he'd go mad if he worked for a Ministry.

Hapner cleared his throat, getting their attention once more before turning to Harry. "You said you had already made a list of some of the equipment you required?"

Harry nodded and withdrew from within his coat a roll of parchment and handed it to the old requisitions officer. The man's gnarled hands unfurled the scroll and he peered down at it through his thick spectacles, his lips moving silently as he read down the page. When he was done he set the parchment on his lap. "Quite a list, Inquisitor."

"Riddle's forces will be equally diverse. He's had a full year to build his army and he's never been one to dawdle. Add to that the number of Death Eaters, hired wands and alliances from the last war and we can expect quite the battle on our hands." Harry noted.

Halpner nodded thoughtfully.

"What type of defences are being recommended?" Dumbledore made himself known. He acknowledged that Harry had far more knowledge of the intricacies of the Inquisition but he, along with the rest of the group, felt rather more like observers than participants in the conversation which was something he was not used to.

Halpner glanced at Harry who nodded his consent. "Well, Lord Dumbledore, let's begin with the fortifications for Azkaban. Inquisitor Potter has recommended that to replace the Dementors, several Ilqiud be placed in the sea around the fortress as well as numerous Battle Trolls to guard the gates. He has also proposed for the beach to be covered with a few hundred mines and behind that we would plant a wall of Dryad infested woodland that would thin the numbers of any attacking force before the ground cleared into a three hundred metre long No Man's Land between the tree line and the main walls. He has also requested a small force of Centauri archers to man the walls as well as several squads of Goblin warriors to oversee overall command of the defences."

The non-Inquisition members of the group were in shock, their jaws dropping lower and lower with each item listed. Such a varied and powerful force had not been amassed in the entire history of the Ministry and here was Harry, a boy of no older than sixteen, bringing a strong, varied defence force with but a few words. If this was even a small glimpse of the kind of power the Inquisition had at it's fingertips then what would happen if the _entire_ Inquisition were to go to war? The very thought terrified them.

Of course, Fudge had to go and ruin it when he heard the last item.

"Goblins!?" He blustered. "You want _Goblins _to run the defences of a _Wizarding _prison? We may as well just leave the doors open and let You-Know-Who traipse in whenever he pleases! Why not just assign a battalion of Aurors, they would get the job done."

"Fudge," Harry warned, drawing a wince from the fickle man. "Your failings as a leader so far have been many and varied. Don't compound them with your prejudices. Goblins are the best choice not only for managing _any_ defence but with them behind Azkaban's walls, the prison may never fall."

"What makes you say that?" Dumbledore inquired.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Honestly, get rid of Binns. I checked him out and I know that he lost his family during one of the Goblin Rebellions. A man with a grudge isn't the best choice for a History teacher and it's affecting the student's understanding of the world. Fine, I'll indulge you. Around one-thousand two hundred years ago, Azkaban Island was one of the last watchtowers of the ancient Goblin Empire. The Goblin King at the time, King Grimmjaw the Reaper, ordered the Goblin force there to abandon the island after the outbreak of the Pirigrim Plague that ravaged their people. However, Wizards were immune to this disease and claimed Azkaban for themselves, turning it into a penal colony. When the cure for the Pirigrim Plague was discovered and the disease wiped out, the Goblins decided to leave the island be for now. As far as they were concerned, it was more of a tourist attraction than a defence against invaders anyway. If they wanted to, the Goblin Nation could demand the island's return to them and there'd be nothing you could do about it."

Fudge was incredulous. "T-That isn't possible! The Goblins can't own Azkaban, it belongs to the Ministry!"

Harry shook his head. "Our records are far more detailed than yours, Minister, but we're getting off track. Officer Halpner, if you'll please continue."

The man did so. "In addition to these, Inquisitor Potter has requested that at least three groups of House Elf Sappers be assigned to assist the defence."

Fudge and Scrimgeour scoffed loudly at that and Amelia and Dumbledore looked rather dubious. Warden Brials however didn't seem to notice and by the look on his face he was more than happy with the arraignments so far.

Harry and Halpner ignored them. "I see you have also requested no less than four AN/TWQ-1 Avengers for deployment."

Harry nodded. "I assume they'll be refitted for use in magic saturated areas?"

"Of course, we simply need to remove the electronic systems and replace them with Rune powered alternatives."

"Excuse me." Dumbledore piped up, noticing once more that they were being ignored. "But what are these 'Avengers'? I don't believe I've ever hear of such a thing before."

Harry smirked at the old man. "Do you know what a gun is, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It's a type of Muggle weapon."

"Picture a very big one and there you go."

"That doesn't answer our question, Harry." Dumbledore responded, slightly miffed. "What are these 'Avengers'."

Harry sighed. "Fine." He took a deep breath and answered quickly, "The AN/TWQ-1 Avenger is an air defence system which provides short-ranged protection against cruse missiles, unmanned air vehicles, low flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. It was designed by the US military and is currently being used by the Army, and when needed, by the Inquisition and until recently, the system was also used by the US Marine Corps. The Avenger comes mainly in three types of configurations: the Basic, Slew-to-Cue, and the Up-Gun. The Basic configuration, which we'll be using, consists of a gyro-stabilized air defence turret mounted on a modified heavy High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. The turret has two Stinger missile launcher pods, each capable of firing up to four fire-and-forget infrared/ultraviolet guided missiles in rapid succession." Harry grinned. "Understand now?"

"Erm…"

Harry laughed at their completely clueless expressions. "Don't worry, Headmaster, I'd have been shocked senseless if you did. In layman's terms they're Azkaban's defence against large-scale flying creatures like Dragons. Riddle likes to go all out and we need to be prepared for anything. The Avengers will see to that." He looked over at the Warden, who was slumped in his seat with a glazed look in his eyes. "I assume these defences will be sufficient?"

Warden Brials blinked before a large stupid looking grin bloomed across his face. He was positively vibrating in his chair with excitement, looking very much like a child on Christmas morning. "Oh, I think they'll do _very_ well, Inquisitor. I doubt Azkaban has ever, or will ever, be this well protected. I don't think we'll have to worry about losing the prison any time soon."

Harry nodded back, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you. There are a few more things on the list but they're small in number and are mostly defences for inside the prison, not outside."

After allowing the group a few long moments to digest this very welcome information, Dumbledore brought up a matter that meant a great deal to him. "What about the defences of Hogwarts?"

Harry drummed his fingers against his cane. "Well, we know that Hogwarts has always been one of Riddle's primary goals since he launched a number of attacks against it during the last war."

Dumbledore nodded gravely. He remembered those days when Tom sent his followers to try and take his old school. "Indeed. Fortunately the Aurors, teachers and Hogwarts itself managed to repulse the attacks but not without loss." The others agreed. The Hogwarts attacks were some of the worst attacks during the last war.

"With that in mind, we'll be setting up a few Avengers on the grounds as well as equipping the walls, towers and battlements with gun turrets. You'll see." He waved off the inevitable question when he saw Scrimgeour's mouth open. "We'll also be brining in a pair of War Dragons, Battle Trolls, House Elf Sappers and I'll be adding to Hogwarts' Wards myself. I'm also curious to see what the Forbidden Forest holds that could help us out." He mused to himself.

Halpner cleared his throat to get Harry's attention and once he had it, he croaked, "There's also the matter of your _special request _in the missive you sent to us. As you know the Departmento Munitorum has no authorisation to issue the personnel you asked for. Such a request must be made to them in person."

"But you_ did_ pass along the request like I ordered?" Harry asked. Halpner nodded. "Then I expect them to send someone to talk to me in the coming days."

"Inquisitor?" Amelia asked, confused as to what they were talking about.

Harry waved away her question. "Don't worry, just trying to ensure us a few guards for the castle. Now, tell me what you have come up with to defend the country."

Happy to finally be included, Amelia spoke first. "We've increased Auror recruitment and patrols as well as set up permanent Auror posts in all the major cities as well as Hogsmade and Diagon Alley. We've also made it an offence to buy a new wand unless you're just starting Hogwarts, have an Auror permit or a letter of approval from the Ministry. This way we can at least hinder a Death Eater's fighting strength if he looses his wand in a fight. We also took your advice and closed off all Floo travel both from within the Ministry and without. We've also began to keep tabs on suspected Death Eaters in case the rumours turn out to be true."

"What about the emissaries?"

Dumbledore sighed at that. "I've already sent one of my staff to talk to the Giants and they've decided to join Voldemort." He ignored the others' flinches at the name. "We haven't been able to contact any major names in the Vampire community as of yet for they fear that any meeting would be a trap but we're still trying. The Goblins and Centaurs have pleaded neutrality so far and that doesn't look like it'll change soon. We've had contact with the Werewolves and it seems that Fenrir Grayback has been trying to rally them to Voldemort's banner. A few packs have joined but not a lot. Most say that if the Ministry actually shows that they mean to give them the rights they deserve, they'll have to deliver before they even consider joining us."

"What's the word on that?" Harry turned to Fudge.

The Minister looked rather uncomfortable as he squirmed in his chair. "I've been meaning to bring it up at the Wizengamot meetings but the political winds lately haven't been--"

Harry cut him off, getting quite annoyed with the little man so far. "Fudge, I've told you before. You're only going to be in this office for as long as I deem necessary. It doesn't matter if people won't like it or not, my authority will counter any Vote of No Confidence or any petitions. Do as I order and stop trying to salvage your non-existent prospects of staying in this office."

The man looked like someone had kicked his puppy but no one really cared enough to comfort him.

"Do we have any way for the Aurors stationed in the cities to give warning of any attacks?" Harry asked after a moment's silence.

"The Auror posts each have a small Floo that can connect to the Ministry but not allow travel." Scrimgeour told him.

Harry shook his head. "Too slow. We need something that an Auror could use quickly, on the move if need be."

"I'll talk to the Department of Mysteries and see what they can come up with." Amelia said thoughtfully.

"Alight." Harry scratched his head. "Let me see the drafts for the new laws for the Werewolves then the ones for the Vampires."

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Early the next day, Patience was walking down one of the school's many corridors on her patrol. Most of the students were still at breakfast, getting in a hearty meal before the beginning of Monday classes. She topped a flight of stairs and turned onto the fifth floor. She was still getting used to the school and gaining her bearings, a difficult task considering that a great many things in the castle didn't want to remain in one place for very long.

The novelty of the old school was quickly wearing off and she was getting anxious for Harry to send her out to gather intel, catch a stay Death Eater or something! Walking around a castle filled with noisy, rambunctious teens was starting to grate on her nerves and there was nothing that she could do to relieve any stress. Sure, there was the blood runs she went on every few nights and the occasional foray into the Forbidden Forrest (She snorted at the name), but it just wasn't enough. It seemed that Harry was the only one getting to have any fun but she had to admit it was probably well deserved considering what he had to do on a daily basis. Incredibly boring teaching hours were balanced out by bossing around the people who were supposed to be running this war. Fair trade, really.

Speak of the devil, she had just entered the corridor where the young Inquisitor's class was located when she noticed a group of students gathered outside the classroom. Harry had arrived back from the Ministry a few hours ago and was still in the Great Hall, pilfering as much coffee as he could in order to wake up fully and classes weren't to start for another ten minutes. So what were they doing here?

No one had noticed her yet so she slipped up behind the group, managing to catch part of the conversation.

"--afraid I'm going to have to take twenty points from Gryffindor, Granger. Mudbloods shouldn't be walking the halls this early, it's rather unsightly."

Another voice, this time belonging to a girl, spoke up. "Oh, simply _hilarious_, Malfoy. What next, going to give me a detention for that time in third year when I broke your nose? How did that feel exactly, being beaten up by a girl?"

That got a few laughs from the group and Patience smirked seeing the blonde kid's ears beginning to glow pink.

Malfoy grit his teeth. The memory of Granger decking him with a single punch in third year was one of his least favourite memories and he'd endured quite a bit of teasing when it got out. It was time to show this girl how to respect her betters.

"I'd like you to try that again, Mudblood!" He snarled, his wand hand coming whipping up when an iron weight clamped down around his wrist, causing him to wince. His grey eyes shot up and locked with a pair of violet ones which stared back at him coolly.

Hermione blinked. She had been sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast, talking with her friends when the _Daily Prophet_ arrived. It reported six more homes being destroyed over the weekend. All the families inside the houses were dead and the Dark Mark had been set over each of the homes. It didn't take her remarkable intellect to discern what happened. Subdued and suddenly without an appetite, she and a few of the other Gryffindors left breakfast early for their Defence class. They hadn't been there for more than a few minutes when Malfoy and the rest of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad came strolling around the corner. He must have seen them leaving and decided to be his usual irritating self. The 'Mudblood' comment didn't bother her, having grown used to them over the years, but the docking of House Points really galled her. How Dumbledore could allow that Umbridge woman to get away with her little Inquisitorial Squad was beyond her. So she decided to get in her own form of payback and reminded him of the time when she'd decked him after trying to get Hagrid's Hippogriff Buckbeak executed, knowing it was a sore spot for him. She knew she'd succeeded immediately and knew he'd go for his wand, being the petty little boy he was. Her own wand was half way out when something grabbed Malfoy's arm. Hermione looked up to see what had stopped the blonde and gasped softly.

Standing a good head taller than the students around her was a woman. Her long black hair fell around her shoulders in an inky cascade and her black clothes hugged her generous form. One hand was clamped around Malfoy's wrist and the other rested easily on her hip. The woman practically oozed sensuality as she stared down at the young Slytherin, her face cool and impassive. Vaguely, Hermione recognised the woman from the Sorting Feast as one of their Defence teacher's staff members.

Hermione was snapped out of her stupor by the woman's smooth voice breaking the silence that had descended on the corridor. "Duelling in the corridors is against the rules so what do you think you're doing with that wand, boy?"

Draco, taken aback by the woman's sudden appearance, could only stammer, "Wha?"

Patience arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Are you deaf? I'll ask again; what do you think you're doing with that wand?"

Malfoy fumbled for a moment before managing to come up with a half-decent answer. "She tried to attack me, I was defending myself."

Hermione, and indeed the rest of the Gryffindors, looked incredulous at the blatant lie while the Slytherins looked rather smug at the thought of getting out of trouble.

Patience just stared at the blonde blankly for a moment before saying, "I read that Slytherin was supposed to be the most cunning of the four Houses and _that_ was the best lie you could come up with? You're really quite pathetic, aren't you?"

Malfoy blinked at the insult before his face began to flush red. Off to the side, Hermione allowed a tiny grin.

It was then that Draco realised that he wasn't dealing with a member of staff and that this woman didn't have any real power over him. The thought provided a small sense of protection and he drew himself to his full height (Which he realised with indignation barely brought him up to her nose) and sneered, trying to ignore the numb sensation that was creeping up his arm. "And who the Hell do you think you are, woman? Don't you realise who I am?"

Patience had to smirk at the teen. "No. Though I do know that you're not important enough to garner my interest, _boy_."

Malfoy would have retorted if it wasn't for the jet of pink light that streaked past him causing everyone to jump and the girls to shriek in surprise. Lightning quick, Patience's head snapped to the side, allowing the spell to slam into the suit of armour behind her, causing the metal plates to clatter to the floor noisily.

A tubby pink clad figure waddled down the corridor as fast as it could, it's stubby arm holding a wand aimed at Patience, the figure's toad-like face pink with fury. Umbridge puffed a little as she stopped a few meters shy of the group, a sure sign of how out of shape the woman was. "What do you think you're doing, you monster!?" She shrieked. "Unhand that boy at once!"

Patience frowned at the woman, not at all concerned with the wand pointed at her face. In fact, she barely seemed to notice it was there. "Madam Umbridge." She drawled. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

The Senior Undersecretary sneered at her, her white knuckle grip on her wand tightening. "I'm here to stop you from sinking your vile fangs into a helpless student, now release him at once!"

Patience's face crinkled in annoyance as she looked between Umbridge and the young Malfoy still in her grip. "That is not true and quite frankly I'm offended at the insinuation." She raised Malfoy's arm and shook it slightly, looking vaguely disappointed. "Inbreeding always makes for such lousy dinning. With the amount of recycled blood in this boy's veins I'd probably be violently ill after one bite."

Malfoy paled at that as did some others. The way the women were talking made it sound as if…

The student's gasped as the dark haired woman grinned slightly, showing off one elongated fang, it's point razor sharp, perfect for piercing flesh.

"V-V-Vampire!" Malfoy squeaked in terror, ironically turning as white as Patience. He began to frantically tug at his arm, desperate to get away from the monster before it could drain him of his blood.

Patience rolled her eyes at the boy's pathetic attempts at freedom and suddenly released his arm, allowing him to fall to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, wide eyes looking fearfully at Patience, and pretty much threw himself behind his two lumbering friends.

"Oh please!" Patience exclaimed, causing the Slytherins, Umbridge and some of the Gryffindors to jump. "Didn't I _just_ say I wouldn't even consider draining you? Seriously, the amount of inbreeding your family has gone through makes it a wonder that you even managed to successfully tie your shoelaces never mind make it through six years of school. Word of advice: saturate your family tree with some new blood or you'll lose your magic."

"But…I thought that Vampires couldn't be out in daylight?" Hermione's voice spoke up somewhat hesitantly.

"Common misconception." Patience responded absentmindedly but not unkindly. "We're nocturnal by nature but we can move about in the sunlight if we want; just like owls only far better." They didn't notice her eyes quickly scanning the skyline, warily looking out for the pure white form of Hedwig, knowing that her master's familiar wouldn't hesitate to prove that owls were indeed the greater nocturnal race.

"Don't listen to her, Draco." Umbridge was consoling the distraught Pureblood. "This _creature_ just wants you to contaminate your families pure line with filth."

"Well, if that's the case, Dolores, then why don't you and young Draco here get together. I doubt you'll find anything filthier than you outside of a dung beetle and even then it'd be a close contest."

"How dare you!?" The portly woman screeched, pointing her wand directly at Patience's face. The student's drew a collective breath as it looked like a fight was about to break out when a calm voice broke in.

"So what's going on here then?"

They turned to see Harry walking casually towards them, his cane resting on his shoulder and the other hand in his pocket. He stopped between Umbridge and Patience, looking between the two with a raised brow at the Under Secretary's drawn wand. "Something you want to tell me?" He asked them.

"This _monster_ you brought into the school with you tried to attack and kill a student!" Umbridge accused at the top of her voice, which had long lost it's faux sweetness.

"Patience!" Harry exclaimed in shock. Umbridge smirked gleefully, glad that the boy was _finally _acting like a proper Wizard. "I'm shocked at you!" The Inquisitor went on. "I mean, the boy's family has gotten into the habit of shagging their cousins so much that it's a miracle that they're not all a bunch of fish-head eating knuckle draggers like those two unfortunates there." He pointed at Crabbe and Goyle, who didn't understand that they'd just been insulted. Harry shook his head disappointedly. "I thought you had more class than that."

"I do!" Patience near shouted, the two ignoring the looks of indignation on both Umbridge and Malfoy's faces. "C'mon, as if I'd lower myself to such levels of derogation like that. I thought you knew me." A rather cute expression of face hurt made it's way onto her face.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Harry placated, smiling at the gleeful expression on her face. He turned towards Umbridge, who had been growing steadily redder during the little exchange. "Well, now that we've established that Patience wasn't partaking of Café Malfoy, why are you still brandishing that wand?"

Umbridge blustered. "I demand that you remove that creature from this school _at once_! The Minister should have never allowed you to bring it in with you to begin with! For the good of the school you will remove it _now_!" She didn't notice the increasing look of both anticipation and pity on Patience's face nor the subtle frown that made it's way onto Harry's.

Said raven haired teen simply shook his head with and sigh and lay a hand on Umbridge's shoulder, patting it once. "Three things wrong with that statement, madam. Firstly; Patience is not a creature, she's one of my staff and trusted friends and you would do well to remember it. Secondly; as I have previously stated, the Minister has no say in what I do or how I go about doing it. And thirdly," His grip on her shoulder tightened, causing her to wince. "_don't_ presume to order me around, ma'am, you don't have the authority nor do I have the tolerance for it." He released her and she staggered back slightly, held upright by her select group of students. Harry turned to Patience casually. "Now, what started off all this unpleasantness?"

Patience explained everything that happened prior to his arrival, from overhearing the student's conversation to when Umbridge tried to curse her.

When she was finished, Harry turned to Malfoy, who had been standing there moodily. "Mr Malfoy, as I remember it, Prefects such as yourself don't have the authority to remove House Points or issue detentions so what were you doing?"

Malfoy puffed out his chest importantly, showing off the two badges on the front of his robes. "Prefects don't but members of the Inquisitorial Squad do."

Harry raised a brow. "Inquisitorial Squad?"

"Yes." Malfoy bragged. "It's a group specially selected by the Hogwarts' High Inquisitor to help manage the school, selected from the best students."

Harry smirked slightly, causing the Slytherins to tense. That smirk didn't look good. "Well, since the position of High Inquisitor has been terminated then I guess that means your status as members of the Inquisitorial Squad has been as well." He held out his hand and the group yelled as the badges were torn from the front of their robes, each taking a bit of fabric with them. They landed in his hand and began to reform and before long, Harry was stood holding a small lifelike model of a Ukrainian Ironbelly. The tiny Dragon gave a squawk and lifted itself into the air on small metal wings and circled it's creator once before taking off down the hall.

As it disappeared around the corner, Harry turned back to the group with a contemplative look on his face. "Let's see. I guess I'll restore the twenty points taken from Gryffindor while taking fifty from you Mr Malfoy and I'll also be taking this." Malfoy gave a squeak as his Prefect badge was torn from his robes, leaving him with a very ragged appearance. Harry pocketed the thing. "Your Prefect status is herby terminated on the grounds of abusing the position. Oh and let's not forget the crème de la crème; the racism." Draco flinched at the sudden hard look in Harry's eyes and started to shiver involuntarily. "I warned you that such behaviour would not be tolerated _ever_, didn't I?" Harry asked coldly, waiting for Malfoy's hesitant nod. When he got it, he continued. "Since this is a first time offence and since generations of inbreeding has obviously addled your mind, I'll be lenient. Apologise to Ms Granger _and mean it_ and you will get off lightly with a week of detention and a hundred points from Slytherin."

Malfoy gaped at him but the look in Harry's eyes told him clearly that any disobedience would be harshly dealt with made him gulp. Steeling himself with all his might, he forced himself to turn to Granger, who had been standing gaping at the scene before her. Gritting his teeth, he practically spat, "I apologise for my words and actions, Granger, I hope you can forgive me."

Hermione blinked. "Apology accepted." She said dumbly, still trying to catch up with everything before her.

"Good." Harry clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention once more. "I think that's enough drama for today. Everyone inside, the bell is about to go. Patience you can go back to what you were doing and Madam Umbridge, we have no further need of you so go away."

He waited until everyone did as they were told, giving Patience a small smile as she left, before striding into the classroom behind the students, ready to start the day.

'_What a way to start the week.'_ Harry idly thought.

* * *

The rest of the month passed easily enough. Once he had found out about the situation, Snape immediately went to Dumbledore, demanding that Malfoy's Prefecture be returned. Albus calmly replied that there was nothing he could do and that it was indeed Mr Malfoy who was at fault in the matter, further galling Snape. Umbridge silently seethed at the treatment she was given and the entire school had found out that Patience was a Vampire. There was some wariness but they hardly saw her anyway so there was no big reaction other than some of the students demanding that she be removed from the school, only to be rebuffed by Dumbledore. The news of the disbandment of the Inquisitorial Squad however was met with much cheer, even from some Slytherins. Many had grown extremely agitated with the members of that particular group over the past year and now that their authority was removed, many were looking for a little retribution. Needless to say that in that month and the months to follow, it was pretty much open season on the former squad members.

As the year slipped out of September and into October, a matter arose that concerned the students greatly. This was of course the first Hogsmeade visit of the year. When it was brought up, Harry was adamant that the trip be rescheduled either to the end of the month or before September finished but Dumbledore insisted that it be kept as it always was. His reasoning was a supposed show of strength, telling Voldemort and his Death Eaters that they wouldn't be cowed by terrorism. Harry retorted that the sentiment was all well and good but many of the students would rather miss out and be thought cowards (Which they were entitled to under the circumstances) rather than dieing with a stiff upper lip in the name of visiting Zonko's. Dumbledore however would not be swayed and some of the teachers even agreed with him so the trip was announced at dinner on the 3rd of October, three days before the trip.

Harry just shook his head at the man, saying, "It's your funeral. I'll be sure to have you buried beside the brave students who gave their lives in the name of showing strength."

* * *

Harry paced just outside Hogsmeade Village, standing just at the bottom of Hogwarts Road which lead up to the castle. The carriages were scheduled to arrive soon and he was here to make sure the students arrived safely before they were unleashed on the quiet village. He had arrived a few hours before to scope out the town, check for anything suspicious and make sure the Aurors were in position. They were a little dubious when the teen walked up to the head Auror and asked what their patrol routes were. The man laughed and told him to go play and leave them alone until he saw Harry's forehead bearing the lightning shaped scar.

A moment before it impacted his face, knocking him out cold.

Harry turned away from the bleeding man to his second in command and calmly repeated the question. The woman blinked at Harry's calm face. Then looked at the downed form of her boss. Then back at Harry before she waved him towards a nearby table upon which were arrayed a variety of different maps of the village marked with moving ink showing who was going to be patrolling where and with whom.

There were a little over sixty Aurors in the village in total. In addition to these, there would be teachers patrolling the village as well as Bruce and Patience. Dumbledore also mentioned that members of some kind of 'Order' were going to be present as well but Harry didn't fully understand what he meant.

As he paced, his coat swished in the cold wind. He had pulled out the stops today. Listening to his gut instinct, he had his armour, coat and cane as well as his Basilisk hide gloves and his armoured boots. His Ruin inscribed pistol was strapped to his thigh, the weight familiar and reassuring. He didn't need to bring extra clips for the thing thanks to the array of tiny Conjuration Ruins inscribed to the inside of the barrel for which he was grateful. It always helped when you didn't have to stop in the middle of a battle to switch magazines. Clipped to the back of his belt was a small dispenser, filled with shrunken potion phials of all kinds. He doubted he'd need them for himself or his staff but it always helped to be prepared.

His pacing was interrupted by the arrival of the carriages. Sitting in the empty driver's seat behind the pair of black Thestrals was Bruce, his rifle gripped firmly in his meaty hands. He too wore his battle gear, if only at Harry's insistence. His red Dragon hide armour was wore over a black battle dress uniform which had been Charmed to be extra resistant to spell fire. His Limiter was strapped to his chest, tucked away safely under his breastplate. He'd be screwed if a stray spell managed to destroy it, taking away the Muggle's protection against the Wards surrounding Hogsmeade.

Harry's eyes were drawn to a black figure bounding across the tops of the carriages, silently leaping from one to the next with graceful ease, covering more distance than a human could have.

Patience landed before him in a cat-like crouch before standing and smoothing out her black coat which had been buttoned up to chase away the chill. She didn't know why people thought Vampires enjoyed the cold. Sure, they were far more resistant to it than humans and they could move around in a snowstorm wearing casual clothes if need be but they, like every other living creature, enjoyed things like sitting beside a nice cosy fire or huddling under a warm blanket. Having no heartbeat didn't exactly warm you up either.

They waited until Bruce clambered down from the carriage and joined them before speaking, each watching their surroundings carefully.

"You two remember the plan?" Harry asked.

They nodded. "We walk around the town, making sure to keep our eyes out for trouble, and make sure the students don't stray too far." Patience elaborated.

"And if there's an attack?"

"I cover the students as they head back to the castle while you and Patience get them out and clear the village." Bruce said.

"Exactly." Harry nodded then sighed irritably. "I don't know what that old fool was thinking. Keeping the trip on schedule is just like hanging a massive sign over the village that says 'Attack Here'." He shook his head. "Let's go. If there is an attack, all we can do is contain the damage."

The group split up, each going in the general direction of the mass of students. Patience could blend easily with the public, having nothing that made her stand out apart from her deathly pale skin and good looks. Bruce on the other hand couldn't have stood out better if he had been dipped in pink paint, lit on fire and had a large neon sign strapped to his forehead proclaiming his love of all things destructive. However Harry, even though he lacked Bruce's size or full battle gear, stood out better than the other two if only for his mere presence which seemed to flood the streets. As he prowled from one building to the next like some kind of silent predator, all eyes seemed to be drawn to him. People whispered and pointed as he passed but he ignored them, alert for any sign of a threat.

The winter wind billowing around him, Harry stalked further into the village of Hogsmeade.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass pushed open the door of the Three Broomsticks, her long winter coat and scarf wrapped around her tight. Behind her were her two best friends Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini. She pulled her scarf from around her neck and sighed in relief as she led the small group over to a table tucked away into the corner of the tavern, out of the way of the bustling crowd.

"Bloody shite weather." She grumbled as they sat down. "I swear, the second I leave Hogwarts I am moving!"

Tracey smirked at her friend, knowing full well Daphne's aversion to the cold. "What's this? The famed 'Ice Queen' of Hogwarts doesn't like her natural environment? Should we call a Mind Healer?"

Daphne glared at the raven haired girl though it was with little heat. "One more word and I'll Hex you so badly that you'll be the one needing healing."

Blaise shook his head at the blonde. "You'd never hurt either of us and you know it." He said with a smirk of his own. "You love us too much."

"Yeah, love you like a bad illness."

"Fine, you think we're too useful to lose."

"Now you've got it."

The three chuckled and turned as the curvy Madam Rosmerta bustled over, ready to take their orders. After asking for three Butterbeers, the three lapsed into conversation.

"So," Tracey started as she shrugged off her coat. "Did anyone else notice how nervous the teachers seemed to be when we left?"

Blaise nodded. "They were glancing around as if they expected to be attacked at any minute. I think I even saw McGonagall with one hand on her wand as the carriages left."

"Can you blame them?" Daphne asked. "There _is _a war going on after all. I don't know why they didn't reschedule the trip, though. I mean it's practically an open invitation to attack. I think there might have even been trouble before we got here."

"What makes you say that?" Tracey asked, concerned.

"I say the head Auror when we were passing Zonko's. He had a bandage around his forehead. It looked like something hit him."

"There can't have been any trouble." Blaise shrugged. "If there was, do you think they'd have still allowed the trip?"

"Would you have thought they'd keep a trip on a fixed schedule in the middle of a war where the other side is known to torture, rape and kill at random?" Daphne challenged.

"Touché, Greengrass."

"Speaking of which, did you see those three from the Inquisition?" Tracey asked with a raised brow. "They were geared up as if they were going into a battle. If that doesn't say there's likely to be an attack during this trip then I don't know what does."

"Maybe they're just being cautious?" Blaise proffered as Madam Rosmerta returned with their orders. They paid for the drinks and thanked her before sipping the refreshing brew with content sighs. Nothing beat a Butterbeer on a cold day.

"I doubt it." Tracey said as she relaxed back into the leather padding of the booth. "That big bloke who sat on the first carriage was carrying enough firepower to take over Hogsmeade single-handedly."

"Firepower?" Blaise and Daphne asked in unison.

Tracey rolled her eyes at them. "Purebloods." She muttered. "That thing he was carrying was called a gun. It's a very dangerous type of Muggle weapon which can wound but is designed to kill."

"That woman didn't seem to be too worried. What was her name? Patience?"

Tracey nodded. "But then again she's a Vampire or so they say. They don't exactly need weapons."

"The Inquisitor seemed agitated." Daphne noted. "Did you see him pacing as we pulled into the village? He looked ready to unleash Hell."

"Well, Inquisitors _do _seem to be disposed to violence and if what we saw during our first class is any indication, Potter's no different." Tracey snorted as the other two nodded. The memory of Malfoy getting tossed around like a rag doll was still fresh in their minds and the image of him performing the three Unforgivables wasn't likely to go away soon either.

"So, you two want to browse for a while?" Blaise asked.

Tracey nodded and drained her Butterbeer while Daphne grumbled but reached for her coat. The three wrapped themselves back up tight in preparation for the bitter cold and pushed their way out of the Three Broomsticks and into the streets.

Deciding to get the minor things out of the way first, the trio went to Scrivenshaft's to restock their writing supplies and where Tracey indulged herself with a new pheasant feather quill. Afterwards, the girls dragged a protesting Blaise into Gladrags where they sampled the latest in Wizarding fashion. After nearly an hour of trying on a myriad of different clothing combinations, wearing the same thing more than once, they rewarded the boy's patience with a trip to Honeydukes. Though many may not have known it, Blaise was a glutton for any kind of candy coated confectionary and it showed with how he loaded up on the sweets, as if he were afraid three bags wouldn't hold him over until the next trip. It was a thoroughly annoyed Zabini that was forced to go back for more when the girls snuck some of his candy, even after saying they wanted none for themselves when they were in the shop.

It was when they were passing the Owl Office that it happened.

Blaise was happily munching away at his sweets while the two girls talked when suddenly a high pitched scream rent the frigid air and the window of the Wizarding Post Office was struck by a spell in a shower of broken glass. The two girls and one boy hit the ground, their hands over their heads to shield them from the glass before they looked up to see chaos claiming Hogsmeade.

Terrified residents and students ran up and down the street, screaming their heads off, as black robed figures fired curses of randomly, some aiming for property and others for people. The few Aurors that were in the street were quick to rush to the civilians aid and duel the figures but they were so few and were quickly being pushed back.

"Death Eaters!" Blaise yelled, dragging the two girls to their feet.

"We need to get back to the carriages!" Tracey shouted as she pulled her wand, dropping her purchases as she did so. Blaise and Daphne did likewise.

Blaise sent a quick Bludgeoning Hex at the nearest Death Eater while Daphne Stunned one that had been bearing down on them, wand raised. Together, the three ran in the direction of Hogwarts, making sure to keep an eye out for any attack.

A Death Eater burst from around the corner, startling Daphne who stumbled in surprise, but he was quickly Stunned by a nearby Auror.

"Hurry and get back to the school!" The woman yelled as she ran off to help a colleague who was fairing badly against two Death Eaters.

They didn't need to be told twice and the three tore up the street, dodging any stray spells that came their way. They had just turned into a side street when a Bone Breaker from behind caught Blaise's leg.

"ARGH!" He screamed, falling to the ground and clutching his mangled limb.

"Blaise!" Tracey screamed and the two girls ran back to him. They attempted to haul him to his feet but the broken leg coupled with the fact that the boy was much heavier than they were meant they had little luck before three Death Eaters rounded the corner, each with a wand trained on the students.

"Well, look what we have here!" One exclaimed in fake surprise, swaggering towards the Slytherins. "A couple of students out for a stroll. A couple of rather tasty looking students at that." He said, leering at Tracey and Daphne who shivered in disgust at the lust in the man's voice.

"Yeah." A large, fat Death Eater said. "What's say we _sample_ the goods from Hogwarts; see if they've gotten any better since out time?"

The last Death Eater snickered, his eyes raking up and down the girl's bodies. "Sixteen, eh? Good vintage. Should be rather sweet."

The girls backed away from the men, half dragging a pale and panting Blaise who pulled himself along the ground, none of their eyes leaving the men at the end of the street.

"Hold it!" The first Death Eater ordered, pointing his wand directly at Daphne. "You're going nowhere, we still haven't had our fun. Maybe a little lesson is in order, eh." The two behind him chuckled evilly as he levelled his wand. "_Crucio_!"

Daphne's eyes snapped shut and she tensed in anticipation of the pain. She was terrified of what was going to happen. Would they really rape her and Tracey? Pft, of course they would, they were Death Eaters. But what about Blaise? Would they just kill him or would they torture him before he died? He didn't deserve that; none of them did.

She was beginning to wonder what was taking so long when she heard Tracey's gasp beside her and her eyes snapped open only for her own breath to leave her.

Stood before them, shielding them from the Death Eaters, was their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Inquisitor Harry Potter.

One of his hands was stretched out to the side and Daphne's eyes followed it to where she saw a large black crater in the wall, obviously caused by some sort of spell. Her eyes widened as she realised that he had deflected the Cruciatus and without a wand too. Although with what she'd seen of him so far she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised.

She was broken from her thoughts by the sound of a deep masculine voice speaking. "Are you three okay?"

It was Inquisitor Potter. He was looking over his shoulder at them, only one of his emerald eyes visible from the angle.

Daphne blinked until she realised he was talking to her and she shook her head to snap herself out of her daze. "Blaise's leg got hit by a Bone Breaker Curse!" She said urgently.

Potter's eyes flicked down to the boy and his outstretched hand came around his back to point at Blaise while keeping his body pointed towards the Death Eaters who were staring at the raven haired teen and muttering between themselves. Potter's hand came a small flick and Blaise cried out in pain as his leg was set before another flick of the hand Conjured a bandage and splint which tightly bound the injured limb. His hand then reached inside his coat before he withdrew a tiny, miniscule blue bottle which was quickly enlarged to it's full size. Potter dropped it into Blaise's hand with the explanation, "It's a pain reliever, it'll tide you over until you get to the Hospital Wing." His eyes snapped to the girls. "Can you two get him to the carriages?"

They nodded. "Good. My gunman is covering the students there, if you can get there you'll be safely taken back to the school. Go and remember to keep out of sight and stay low."

"But…what about you?" Daphne asked hesitantly. Three against one wasn't exactly fair odds and she couldn't _not _be concerned for someone who had just saved them from a fate worse than death.

Potter's one visible eyebrow arched and she could practically _feel_ his smirk and when he spoke, his voice held some amusement. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Now go!"

"Daph, come on!" Tracey yelled as she helped Blaise to his feet and slung one of his arms over her shoulders.

Daphne immediately slung his other arm over her own shoulder and together they helped him limp towards the other end of the street. Just before they turned the corner, Daphne glanced over her shoulder to see their teenage teacher staring down the three Death Eaters, his stance casual and unworried.

Just before he was out of their sight, she sent a quick prayer that he would be okay.

* * *

Harry waited until the three Slytherins were gone before speaking to the Death Eaters who were none to pleased that their entertainment was gone.

"That wasn't wise, boy." One of the Death Eaters growled. By the was they stood, he appeared to be the leader of this little group. "You've cost us our fun for tonight. I guess we'll just have to make due with you."

Harry smirked with mirth, completely unconcerned with the wands pointed at him. "Sorry, hate to disappoint but I don't bend that way."

"Oh, so we've got a comedian here, eh?" The man asked sarcastically but it was easy to tell by his voice that he was getting angry. "Let's see if you think this is funny, you little prick! _Crucio_!"

With a snort, Harry casually sidestepped the spell and shook his head. "That was pish."

The man snarled and levelled his wand. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

The green energy streaked towards Harry, who braced himself. A moment before it connected, the spell suddenly changed course and slammed into the ground between the two groups.

"What the…" The Death Eaters muttered in confusion. Nothing could block the Killing Curse so what happened?

"So pulling out the big guns already, eh?" Harry asked as he lowered his arm. It was then that the Death Eaters saw what had blocked the Unblockable spell.

Clutched tightly in the teen's hand was a sword. It's silver blade gleamed in the weak sunlight, seemingly without a single imperfection. The double edged weapon was near a meter in length and it's guard-less grip appeared to be made of black, green-veined marble with a silver cap at the top. In his other hand was clutched the cane he had been carrying, which was now missing the top part and now had a small opening which looked perfectly sized for a blade to slide into.

It was a cane sword.

"Well," Harry said, gaining their attention once more as he cracked his neck. He swung his sword a few times, hearing the sound of the razor sharp blade cutting the air. "I suppose we should get on with it. Barbarisater hasn't had a good workout in a while so please make it a good one, eh?"

The lead Death Eater shook himself then forced a snort. "You think you can take on all three of us with just a _sword_? Boy, even fully trained Aurors would have trouble taking on three opponents with their wand and years of training so what makes you think you have a chance?"

Harry grinned and the Death Eaters unconsciously took a step back. That grin was one of a predator that had cornered it's prey.

Harry shook his head at them, grin still in place. "You're right. Aurors would have trouble with three opponents." His grin widened. "But Inquisitors are on a whole other level."

The lead Death Eater's eyes widened. "Inquis-ARGH!" He screamed as Harry disappeared and white hot agony tore through him as a gleaming metal blade carved through his spine.

Harry spun low and cleaved the legs out from under the second Death Eater before following the momentum around and up to take the head and wand arm from the third.

The Death Eaters fell, two dead and one near enough. The man grabbed at his bloody stumps, trying desperately to stem the bleeding. A shadow fell across him and he looked up through tear filled eyes at the green orbs above him.

"W-W-Who are you?" He whispered in fear, already growing cold from blood loss.

Two words were his answer.

"Your executioner."

Silver flashed and the Death Eater knew no more.

* * *

Harry turned from the three bodies, flicking Barbarisater free of blood and strode towards the end of the street where the sound of fighting was loudest. He felt through the numerous magical signatures in Hogsmeade until he found the two he was looking for; the minds he had left a piece of himself in.

Despite what some may believe, magic does indeed have a nature. Now, Wild Magic; magic unattached to any life form or chained into an object like a Ward stone, did not have a nature as it was the source of all magic but Essence Magic did. For example; magic that made up the Magical Core of a Wizard, Goblin, Dragon, Muggle, tree, plant life, Wards or any other living or magical hand made thing was Essence Magic. Wild Magic was the ambient magic that made up the universe, waiting to be converted into Essence Magic.

Each creature's Essence was unique to them, with no two being the same. Each creatures Essence also gave the creature control over a certain kind of magic. Dragons were famed for their control over fire based magic and Dryads had an almost symbiotic bond with life magic but for more diverse creatures like Wizards and Goblins it was a little different. Wizards had a very loose hold on magic and therefore each Wizard could have an entirely different Essence from the next. Dumbledore had a fire based Essence even though he preferred Transfiguration. Nicolas Flamel was greatly gifted in the area of Alchemy based magic but also had a touch of Necromantic magic which allowed him to be the only person in history to create a Philosophers Stone. Merlin had the greatest Charms based Essence ever recorded in Wizard kind.

Harry's Essence was based around Mind Magic. With this, abilities like Occlumency and Legilimency were second nature to him and as such he could take their practices to new levels entirely. It also helped his control over other kinds of spells, following the first rule of magic: "It's all about intent". This made spells far easier to cast, regardless of what they were but spells that effected one's mind were his forte. It was near impossible to break his Occlumency barriers, his Legilimency skills were far greater than most and it was tough even for Inquisitors to throw off his Imperius Curse and even then only the seniors had been able to do it. It was with skills like this that Harry had been able to create many Mind spells, both offensive and defensive, one of which was a kind of telepathy. All he had to do was enter a person's mind, preferably willingly, and leave a kind of marker that he could connect to, even from many miles away and he instinctively knew where that person was. Within the small village of Hogsmeade, such a thing was easy.

_+Patience?+ _He sent. _+What's your status?+_

Her response was immediate. +_I'm near the High Street. Death Eaters have engaged the Aurors and are attacking at random. Mostly Cruciatus and Killing Curses. Heading to engage.+_

_+Good, tell me if you need assistance. Bruce?+_

_+I'm at the carriages, covering the students as they head back to the castle, they're on foot. A few Death Eaters trying to catch them before they can get back to the school but I'm taking care of them.+ _The large Muggle's gravely voice answered back.

+_Place any injured into the carriages and send them back to the school and order one of the non-injured students to go with them. You should have enough space for six in each carriage if you lay them down on the benches and floors.+ _Harry advised.

+_Got it. What about you? What'll you be doing?+_

Harry grinned and although they couldn't see it, they could hear it in his thoughts. +_What I do best.+_ He answered.

He withdrew his mind from theirs as he strode into the next street just as a Death Eater disarmed an Auror protecting a small group of Third Years. Harry pulled his pistol in an instant and levelled it at the Death Eater's head, pulling the trigger. The man's skull vanished in a burst of red, thoroughly shocking the Auror.

"Lead them to the carriages!" Harry barked as he strode past, firing at more Death Eaters.

Harry slashed and hacked, removing limbs and opening guts as he cut a bloody path through the street. A swift kick of an armoured boot broke a man's knee while a Banishing Charm sent another through a store window. Reversing his grip on Barbarisater, Harry impaled the first Death Eater and pulled, spilling his intestines onto the streets.

The sound of crunching glass drew his attention and Harry looked up to see a woozy but determined Death Eater trying to climb back out through the store window. When he had one leg over, Harry grinned and waved his hand. "_Reparo_."

The man's masked head tilted slightly in obvious confusion as the glass flew up reform the store's window.

The fact that the shards had to go _through_ the Death Eater first were of little consequence.

Harry turned from the shredded body and started towards the group huddled near Honeydukes.

They hadn't been expecting this. When Aurors went into a fight they were ordered to Stun only but this kid was slaughtering them without even trying to take prisoners!

The Aurors just watched dumbfounded as the sixteen year old cut through the swarms of Dark Wizards with practiced ease, allowing them to help the injured or get the students to the carriages. They weren't about to get in that kid's path, that's for damn sure.

Harry quickly ducked a Killing Curse and a Cruciatus while allowing a low powered Blasting Hex to splatter harmlessly off his armour as he swept Barbarisater up, cleanly bisecting a Death Eater from crotch to crown. Three staccato burst from his pistol killed three more and he Banished a piece of rubble across the road and into the face of the last one in this street.

As he moved into Ravenclaw Avenue, Harry idly wondered how the others were doing.

* * *

The Death Eater screamed as he was tossed against the wall. Before he had even hit the ground, she was there, holding him up with a strength that belied her lithe body. His mask was ripped off and his terror filled eyes briefly met a pair of cold violet ones before she snarled and sunk her teeth into his neck. He screamed in agony and fear, his thrashing getting weaker and weaker as his blood was drained from him. In a matter of seconds he was dead, his corpse pale as winter snow and with two small teeth marks on the side of his neck, the only sign of what killed him.

Patience threw the body to the ground, licking her lips free of every last drop of blood as she turned and booted a chunk of rock the size of her head with amazing strength, sending it rocketing across the street, pulverising another Death Eater's spinal column.

Faster than any human could move, she ran forward and wrapped an arm around another's neck and jerked, breaking it with an audible_ crack! _She bodily threw the corpse into a small group firing after retreating students, knocking them to the ground. She landed amongst them, claws tearing and shredding.

Like a cat, she propelled herself out of the street and onto the roof of the Apothecary before leaping into the back alley behind the houses. It was nothing more than a thin path between the back gardens, thick enough to only allow one man to walk down it at one time.

And right now it was packed with Death Eaters.

She launched herself off the Apothecary roof and literally dived into the group, moving with all the speed and grace her kind were known for. In the confined space, the Dark Wizards couldn't return fire quick enough and Patience easily slaughtered her way through, leaving a bloody carpet of bodies behind her.

She kicked the man in front of her in the sternum, throwing him back and knocking down the ones behind him that were trying to flee.

A few more slices and they were dead.

She ran across the bodies lightly, never once stumbling on the uneven mass, and burst into the next street. There were only a few here, maybe five at the most. The nearest two hadn't seen her yet and she silently made her way behind them. She leaned towards one and when she whispered in his ear, her breath tickled the hairs of his neck.

"Boo."

They started and spun but it was already too late. Patience grabbed the first's wand arm while backhanding the other, throwing him against a wall where his head connected with a sickening _crack_! She jerked the first forward by his arm and wrapped her free one around him, pressing her body to his. To the casual observer, it might have appeared to be a lover's embrace but they would have been terribly wrong.

Patience smirked at the man whose terror filled eyes were wide behind the holes of his mask. "Hi." She said pleasantly before tearing into his neck.

His screams alerted the others and they turned to see a beautiful woman with her face buried into the crook of their comrade's neck but judging by his screaming and thrashing, it wasn't pleasant. They fired Curses at the joined couple but the woman let the Death Eater's body take the brunt of the spellfire before spinning, her hand still with a firm hold on the man's arm.

Patience threw the Death Eater like a giant human discus, his corpse spinning through the air and knocking out another fat Death Eater while she tore towards the fourth, dancing around the Curses he sent her way.

She batted his arm away and with an Amazonian yell, thrust her hand into his chest, breaking skin, bone and sinew until she jerked it out.

Clutched in her bloody hand was his still beating heart.

The man gasped then coughed once before keeling over, dead.

Patience tossed the organ aside then threw herself into a roll as a Killing Curse passed through the space her head had occupied a moment before.

Her dodge took her to the middle of the street where she crouched on one knee, ready to dodge again as she stared at the final Death Eater.

It was easy to tell by the way that the robes hugged her form that it was a woman behind that skull mask, her wand pointed directly towards Patience but not casting any spells.

"How pitiful." The woman said, disgust evident in her voice. "The Ministry's resorted to using Vampire filth to fight it's battles. Just goes to show how weak they really are."

Patience's eyebrow rose, not raising to the bait. "Isn't that a little bit hypocritical of you? You're Master hired Vampires during the last war knowing that he couldn't win on his own."

"Be silent!" The woman snapped. "The Dark Lord may have used Vampires during his last rise but we always had a plan to be done with them when their use expired. They were just animals for the slaughter, actually thinking that they would have a place in the utopia the Dark Lord envisioned."

Patience scoffed. "Ah yes, Voldemort's infamous goal: kill off everything other than Purebloods and inbreed the human race into extinction. Really got a head on his shoulders that Tom Riddle."

"You dare speak _His_ name!?" The Death Eater hissed in fury.

Patience shrugged. "Yeah. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a mouthful and You-Know-Who is just confusing."

The other woman growled, her grip on her wand tightening. "You'll learn the proper respect when my Master topples your weak government and rules all."

Patience chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry to break it to you but Voldemort won't overthrow the Ministry. Not as long as _my_ Master is there leading the fight."

This time it was the Death Eater's turn to scoff. "Albus Dumbledore? That old fool will be dead soon enough."

Patience smirked. "Not Albus Dumbledore. Inquisitor Harry Potter."

The Death Eater's stance faltered slightly before she caught herself and chuckled. "So you're Potter's pet Vampire that I've been hearing about. No matter. My Lord will deal with that _child_ soon but he will reward me greatly for removing one of the Inquisition's own agents."

"Mmhmm?" Patience hummed disbelievingly. "And what makes you think you can kill me?"

The woman only laughed as she threw back her hood, letting her lanky black hair fall free and tore her mask away, tossing it aside. Patience recognised her immediately.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." Patience noted. "Wife of Rodolphus Lestrange, former inmate of Azkaban and supposedly Voldemort's right hand."

The former member of House Black grinned manically, her insanity obvious. "You've heard of me? I'm flattered."

Patience said nothing as she stood. Taking a few steps back, she undone the buttons of her long coat and slid it from her slim shoulders, kicking away. Her torso was now only clad in her bodice and the cold didn't seem to effect her at all. Lestrange was dangerous. She had to be to be the second most powerful member of the Death Eaters. While she was no where near as strong as Riddle, she was every bit as vicious. Patience would need to take her seriously.

"Oho!" Bellatrix giggled. "She's getting serious. Does the big bad Vampire want to dwink wittle Bella's blood." She asked in her grating mock baby voice.

"No, I wouldn't subject myself to that. I'll settle for bathing in it instead." Patience raised her arms to the side and four slivers of silver slid from hidden sheaths disguised into her bodice. Four handle-less Kine blades hovered before her, twirling lazily.

Like most Vampires, Patience was not a Witch. There was an unwritten rule to _never_ Turn a Witch or Wizard, not matter what the reason. There was too much bad blood between the two people and Turning a Wizard was only reserved for as a grave punishment. That's not to say that she couldn't control magic. She could do some minor spells and charge low powered Runes if need be but her real power lay in her inert ability to manipulate objects.

Patience was a Telekine. A rather gifted one too.

"You think a few measly blades with save you?" Bellatrix asked mockingly.

Patience shook her head. "No but they should be enough to kill you."

The women stared at each other, bodies tense and ready.

At some unspoken signal, they attacked.

* * *

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

Bruce's rifle bucked as he popped three more Death Eaters that had chased after the students. He was perched atop the carriage he'd arrived on, the elevation allowing him to fire over the heads of the retreating students. He'd already sent two carriages back to the castle, the insides filled with injured students. He'd hit fifteen Death Eaters so far and only used fifteen bullets, making sure to make every shot count. With his Rune inscribed weapons, he'd never run out of ammunition but it was a matter of pride that he only needed one shot. It was part of the reason Harry hired him.

His eyes scanned the area ahead, his keen eyes searching for white masks while watching for any injured students. His eyes caught a group of three Slytherins lumbering out of the village, a boy supported between two girls. His leg was bandaged, obviously broken and his weight was beginning to tire the girls out.

Bruce dropped off the carriage, landing with a loud thud and marched over to them.

The two girls looked up, somewhat fearfully, at the large Muggle but knew this was the man that Inquisitor Potter told them about. With this knowledge in mind, they didn't protest much when he actually lifted Blaise from between them and carried him over to the carriages with one arm, like you would a small child.

Blaise, while in pain, couldn't help but look a little indignant at being lugged around like a kid.

Daphne and Tracey actually managed a giggle at their friend's predicament and followed them over to one of the empty carriages.

Bruce opened the door and placed the boy inside somewhat gently before stepping aside and waving the girls in. He disappeared for a moment before returning with two Third Year girls, one a Hufflepuff and the other a Ravenclaw. They were bleeding from cuts to their faces and arms and crying heavily. Bruce passed them to Daphne and Tracey.

"Take these three to the Hospital Wing." He ordered before snapping the door closed. A smack to the rump was all it took to convince the Thestral to move and the carriage was on it's way back towards the school.

Bruce clambered back atop the carriage he was on in time to kill a Death Eater that had been aiming at an unsuspecting girl's back.

His gun gripped tightly in his hands, Bruce watched for any sign of danger as he did his duty.

He couldn't let Harry down; he had a perfect record so far and he wasn't about to lose it now.

* * *

Harry ducked behind the wall as a Killing Curse smashed into the stonework, obliterating it. He jabbed his gun around the corner and fired a small burst, making sure to aim high as to not accidentally hit a non-combatant. He rushed around the corner to see a Death Eater tucked behind a cart full of straw.

With a flick of Barbarisater, the cart was Transfigured into a Bengal Tiger which turned on the startled criminal and mauled him. Harry directed it to chase down two more who had been making a brake for it and released the spell when they were dead.

+_Patience, what's your status?+_

He had to wait for a long moment and when she did reply, her answer was an impatient, +_Busy!+_

Knowing better than to bother her at this time, Harry moved on. +_Bruce? Status?+_

His answer was a lot quicker than Patience's. +_Most of the students appear to have passed me and I've sent three carriages full of students back to the school. I've got eighteen dead Eaters here.+_

Harry smirked. +_Getting slow in your old age, I've already tallied twenty five.+_

_+Yeah well you can go find _your_ targets, I have to _wait_ for them to come to me!+_ He huffed back.

Harry laughed, confusing the few Aurors around him. +_Excuses, excuses. Don't worry, you know me and Patience will visit you in the old folk's home. We'll even bring you some hard candies!+ _He mocked.

+_Yeah and you can have her shove them up your--+_

_+Sorry, got to go.+_ He cut Bruce off. +_Try not to break a hip while I'm gone.+_

He cut the link before Bruce could retort and turned to the three nearby Aurors. "You three, come with me." He took off without making sure they obeyed him. These three had been there when he decked the head Auror and knew who he was. He led them down the street, deflecting the Killing Curses sent their way with his faithful Barbarisater.

He slashed at a Death Eater nearly ten feet away and a Cutting Curse swept from the blade, the white arc slicing him in half at the waist. A Levitation Charm picked up another enemy and Harry used him to bat aside two more before slamming him viciously into the ground a few times. He tossed the limp body away and directed the Aurors to assist a man who had been set on fire and was now thrashing in the street. The rushed off and Harry paused, straining his ears. The fighting sounded far away now, probably a few blocks over. These streets were clear so he turned to take off down Gryffindor Road when he froze suddenly.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see the village, except this time it was through magic itself. Buildings and rubble were outlined in a dark blue that stood out amidst the black of the world. The five senses all seemed to meld together, creating something a whole lot more. He could see and feel the Essence of every single creature in Hogsmeade, all scrambling around like an army of glowing ants. Some were blue and warm, others green and cold and still some were red and quite a few were a mix of colours, flavours, textures and more. Some were dull, some were bright. Some pulsed, others flickered, each representing the very nature of a person. He looked down at his transparent hands which glowed the bright gold of a bearer of Mind natured Essence with a subtle undertone of black, no doubt a result of his constant tinkering with Wards. He reached out and he could see Bruce's very dull signature atop a carriage at the bottom of Hogwarts Road, the weapons in his hands glowing brightly with the amount of magic imbued into them. Further into the village, near Helga's Well was Patience, her Vampiric crimson Essence glowing vividly. She was fighting someone with a muddy Essence somewhere between green and an ugly yellow that reeked of lust and hate and insanity. That someone was powerful and Harry sent a silent warning to Patience to be careful. Within both of his agents was a small spark of gold; the little piece of himself that he'd left in their minds, with their blessing.

It was in Hogsmeade Square that he found who he was looking for. If the other Essences in the village were candles then this one was a verifiable bonfire. It's light obscured it's figure in a flame of silvery black. This Essence hurt to touch and merely looking at it forced Harry to resist the urge to vomit, feeling as if thick grease coated his skin, rust clogging his throat. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't human and it was incredibly strong.

Harry reined in his mind and opened his eyes to reality. Taking a breath, he slid his pistol into it's holster and reverently buttoned the flap. It wouldn't be of any use. Not in this fight. Picturing his destination, he let his desire to be there fill him and twisted, Disapparating away.

He reappeared at the end of Hufflepuff Road, just where it opened up into Hogsmeade Square. The Square was the pride and joy of the village. It contained the finest restaurants in magical Britain in a wide open space made of even light grey cobble stones. The fences were painted a pristine black and gold and the few flower beds that were around were kept immaculate, colourful flowers bursting from the earth. The buildings were made of a light stone, the same shade as the ground. Outside the restaurants stood small tables for when the weather was pleasant which surrounded the large, ornate fountain dedicated to the village's founder: Halgrum Hogsmeade and at his feet stood his ever faithful War Pig: Pinky. The bear of a man held his famous hammer high over his head, his bare stone torso carved so that it was covered by rich furs. It really was a beautiful setting.

And there, sitting at a table outside Relo's Bistro, sat Lord Voldemort.

Like excrement on a famed piece of artwork, the man that was Tom Riddle contaminated the area with his presence. The pale man sat at a small table, completely at ease. At his side sat a young couple. The woman was sprawled across the table and the man was slumped back lifelessly, his dead eyes reflecting the grey sky above.

The fighting was near non-existent now, a few dull poundings that seemed to echo from many miles away. They were the only people in the Square. Well, the only _living_ people at least.

"Ahhh." Riddle's voice drifted across the Square as he looked up at the teen he had been waiting for. "Harry Potter. It's been so many years."

"Not near enough." Harry retorted.

Riddle tilted his head, a smirk playing around his slit of a mouth. "Harry, you make it sound like your not pleased to see me. And I went through all the trouble of setting this up so that we could talk too." He placed a hand over his heart as if wounded and shook his head in pain.

"Haven't you ever heard of owls? If you'd have sent me a time and a place I'd have gladly come over to chat." Harry quipped lightly, as if talking about the weather with an old friend.

Voldemort shrugged. "Sure but this way is _so_ much more fun. Nothing beats a good fight, except perhaps a good kill."

"You're a twisted bastard, Tom." Harry said plainly. "Twisted and vulgar to the fullest extent."

"Thank you." He nodded graciously. He waved towards the only empty seat at the table. "Care for a seat?"

"I'll stand if you don't mind."

"Fair enough." He shrugged and he picked up one of the couple's crumpets. His crumpet now.

Harry raised a brow with a coy smirk. "No offer of a Lemon Drop?"

"Ugh, don't get me started." Tom muttered in disgust, biting into his crumpet. "The amount of times that man called me to his office to ask 'Is there anything you with to tell me, Tom?'" He rumbled in a rather convincing Dumbledore voice. He snorted. "Yeah! I've killed several people, found the fabled Chamber of Secrets, I'm gearing up with the Darkest spells I can and I'm plotting to topple the government when I leave school. What about you, Albus, what's on your social calendar?" He shook his head. "Couldn't get a moment of peace."

"I feel your pain." Harry said dryly.

"Cheers." He took a sip of the tea that had been the man's. Also his now. He set the cup down and looked at Harry intently. Harry felt a bang against his Occlumency shields and smacked it away. Riddle leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "So you _do_ know a little Occlumency. I was wondering why I couldn't feel anything through the link."

Harry returned his smirk. "Can't let you see all my secrets now can I? That would ruin any surprises I had in store."

Riddle sipped his tea. "Never was one for surprises." He paused. "That's not true. I never was one for things that surprised _me_."

"Well, no one is omnipotent except Seers and God himself and somehow I doubt he'd clue you in."

"Well, if things all go according to plan, I'll never have to meet the Great One so I'll never know." Voldemort said as he leaned back, crossing one leg over the other.

"Why are you here, Tom? Why attack a school trip?" Harry asked, getting down to business.

Riddle quirked an amused eyebrow. Or at least, Harry though he did. It was hard to tell from this distance. "Haven't I already said? I wanted to meet _you_, Harry. The famed Boy-Who-Lived, if I'm correct." He smirked.

"Yeah, what about it, You-Know-Who?"

Riddle looked rather disgruntled. "Don't look at me, I didn't come up with the damn name. You think I _like _being called You-Know-Who? Imagine what the history books will say a hundred years from now. _The governments of Britain fell to the Death Eaters and a few years later the world followed, all thanks to You-Know-Who._ No, I don't know who and I'd very much like to find out if you don't mind!" He shook his head. "No Dark Lord, no Almighty Voldemort, just You-Know-Bloody-Who!"

"Moving on." Harry drawled, slightly bemused at the infamous Dark Lord Voldemort having a temper tantrum because no one would say his name. "Since you've gone to all this trouble to call me out, what is it you want?"

"Simply? I'm here to offer you a deal."

Harry groaned. "This isn't the join-me-or-I'll-kill-you-and-everyone-you-know speech is it because if it is, I've heard it a million times and I'm really not in the mood to hear any more variations."

Tom looked thoughtful for a moment before slowly saying, "It…_may_ be but with a slight twist."

"This ought to be good." Harry muttered. "Okay, let's hear it."

Riddle swirled his tea, looking down into the warm brown liquid as he spoke. "There's a Prophesy concerning us as I'm sure you're well aware. I happened to hear a part of that Prophesy but sadly not the whole thing. What I have heard however, intrigues me to no end. It read: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. _These words annoyed the Hell out of me for over a year. Who was this mystery person? When would they arrive and what was this power the Prophesy spoke of? I'd thought on this for countless hours until eventually all I wanted to do was beat my head bloody against the nearest wall."

"Psycho."

"Shut it. Anyway, I eventually learned that two of the families consisting of Dumbledore's biggest supporters had recently had babies and had also went into hiding. I wondered why the old man had sent these families into hiding. I knew it wasn't just because of the newborns. The McKinleys had kids but Albus didn't send them into hiding. If he did they might still be alive now. Then I realised. These babies were born as the _seventh month died_. One of these rug rats was destined to try to screw me over! I had a choice to make. Would my opponent be a Potter or a Longbottom? I had a bloody long time to think about it, I'll tell you. An entire year to be exact. I was wondering how on earth I could get past Wards on a house that I couldn't find when my answer came to _me_. Your parent's Secret Keeper actually wanted to join me _and_ would provide me with the address to where they were hiding. So naturally, I went as soon as I could; on All Hallows Eve."

"Let me get this straight." Harry said slowly, getting thoroughly annoyed. "You attacked my family…because it was the first option available?"

Voldemort shrugged as if to say "What could I do?". "I had been trying for a while. To be honest, I was planning to kill the Longbottoms as well just to make sure I'd covered all the angles. I'd also had a plan for when I toppled the Ministry to have all babies born in July killed just to be on the safe side but that's not important. I went to your house, killed your parents then _tried_ to kill you. I hadn't counted on you mother, though."

"Her Blood Sacrifice." Harry said smugly.

"Exactly." Riddle glowered. "Smart girl that Evans. Shitty lineage but one of the better minds I've seen. Her sacrifice protected you from me and I found myself wounded and weak, lower than the meanest ghost."

"What's this got to do with the Prophesy?" Harry asked.

Voldemort threaded his fingers before him before looking at them incredulously, realising that he'd copied Dumbledore's pose and instead crossed his arms. "From what I've heard of the Prophesy, you have a power, one that I don't. I was very interested by the phrasing of the Prophesy as well. _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord. _This could mean many things but would you like to hear my favourite theory?"

"Shoot."

Voldemort smirked. "I think that this Prophesy, this _destiny, _has decided that you are the one who poses the biggest threat to me. The Prophesy implies that only _one_ person can defeat me totally and that person is you."

Harry kept his face black. "So?"

"Don't you see?" Tom asked. "This means that if _you_ don't kill me, no one else can and that may work the other way around. Think about it, if neither of us kills the other, then neither of us can be killed at all! We could stride into a battle with the knowledge that we couldn't be killed. Injured yes, possibly crippled but not killed. If this is true then there's nothing stopping us from conquering the entire globe if we work together. Think of it. We could make things the way they should be, run things how they should be run. There'd be no war. No famine. No suffering. It would be utopia." Tom finished quietly.

Harry stared at the Dark Lord. Tom had proven his title as a genius with deciphering the Prophesy with what little he had of it, even if he wasn't fully convinced it was completely true. If he was correct, then they were effectively immortal until one got tired of the other and they settled things once and for all. In some traitorous section of his mind, Harry actually considered the offer for a fleeting moment. Not for the whispered promises of power, wealth and glory but for the chance to make things right.

No child would lose their parents to war.

No child would be starved.

No child would be beaten by cruel relatives.

No child would be locked away in a small, dark space for days on end.

No child would suffer.

It really would be utopia.

"There's just one thing you haven't considered, Tom." Harry said quietly.

Voldemort met Harry's emerald gaze with his crimson one. "What's that, Harry."

Harry's eyes suddenly hardened, becoming dark, icy pits. "You killed my parents. And for that I'll kill you."

Riddle sank back into his chair, shaking his head in disappointment. He really thought that the boy would have taken up his offer and like some of the other deals he'd made, Tom had actually planned to honour this one. "You would deny this chance?"

Harry's reply was immediate. "I would."

"I see." Voldemort said quietly.

Harry's eyes shot open as he sensed a large bolt of mental energy coming towards him…

From behind!

He threw himself to the side moments before a large crater was blasted into the stone ground where he had stood not a second before. Harry rolled forwards and slapped one palm to the ground to steady himself as he glanced over his shoulder at the hole before looking back at Riddle, who hadn't moved from his seat. "You've learned how to Project your thoughts." He accused. Thought Projection was the highest level of Legilimency there was; taking years of practice to achieve. Harry himself had only managed to achieve it in the last year and a half. It didn't require direct eye contact and could do a lot more than read minds.

"I have." Tom said simply.

Harry smirked as he slowly rose to his feet. "A battle of minds then. I hope you've had enough practice, Tom, otherwise this will be a short fight."

Harry closed his eyes, once more releasing his mind. Standing before the monster now, Harry could see through the beacon, flaring his own golden one to clear the silvery haze from his vision. The world was black and blue, held in much more definition that Harry would ever see without his Sight.

His conscious lifted from it's physical chains, leaving enough of itself for the cage of bone and flesh to function independently if the need arose. Harry's mind took the form of a great two headed eagle, an Auqilia, the heraldic animal of the Inquisition just as Voldemort's conscious broke free, forming a giant skull wreathed in flame.

With an ethereal caw, Harry launched himself at Voldemort.

Every head in Hogsmeade turned towards the Square as a mighty sonic boom echoed across the village, the magical discharge rattling the panes in the windows while those in the Square itself were shattered as the two minds clashed.

Harry arced high in the air and dived, his razor sharp talons ready to tear Voldemort's conscious apart. The green skull flew up to meet him and it's great maw opened to belch a ball of eldritch fire.

Harry gracefully avoided it, not once pausing in his dive and rammed into the skull, forcing it to the ground in an explosion of rubble. Harry backed off quickly lest Riddle's mind fire scorch him and watched as the skull floated out of the crater, grinning madly.

Suddenly, it exploded into a shower of pain darts that peppered Harry, causing him to screech in pain. A great Basilisk swam up through the air and bore down on the wounded bird, it's jaws ready to tear it's life away.

Frantically, Harry reformed into a tiny Snitch and snapped out of the massive snake's path, hovering just outside the Gilded Wand restaurant. Voldemort hissed in anger and launched himself at Harry again only for the teen to dodge once more, allowing the reptile to crash through the eatery's window, thoroughly demolishing the building.

Seeing that his current tactic was no good, Voldemort ripped his head from the rubble of the building, causing the roof to cave in, and released his current form.

Harry hovered nervously for a second before a large prism comprised of Voldemort's black energy appeared around him, encasing him in it's magical barrier. The Snitch fluttered around like mad as the walls started to close in, desperately looking for a way out. With little choice, Harry formed into a large ball comprised of many long, sharp spikes. The spikes shoot out, smashing into the constricting walls and stopping their progress but not piercing them.

Both minds battled for dominance.

Riddle pushed all his power into compacting the cage, knowing that if he could, Harry's mind would be extremely weakened, maybe even destroyed.

Harry pushed back, his greater experience with Thought Projection giving him the edge he needed over Tom's insane strength. Only one spike needed to pierce the barrier and he could get out.

The two opposing forces strained and pushed, each trying to overpower the other. Finally, with an almost Herculean effort and a roar of anger, Harry managed to force one spike through the barrier, shattering it. Knowing he didn't have long, Harry dropped his form into a cloud of smoke and rushed out of the hole a millisecond before the barrier snapped shut.

The giant cage shuddered in rage and swirled from a barrier into a Dementor. The spectral wrath swept across the Square, immaterial translucent hands reaching for the gold smoke.

Harry waited until the thing was close enough before he whipped around, smoke flattering and hardening into a giant spinning saw blade. Riddle tried to pull up but he was too slow. He crashed into the shrieking razor's edge, the blade tearing into him, magic leaking from his wounds like lifeblood. The Dementor jerked and screeched on the blade before the momentum finally launched him off, smashing into the side of the fountain of Halgrum Hogsmeade.

Had anyone witnessed the battle taking place, all they would have seen would have been quite possibly the two most powerful Wizards in the country staring each other down as Hogsmeade Square erupted around them, buildings and the ground being destroyed by some powerful but invisible force. This battle took place on another level of existence entirely.

Harry fired a shower of pain darts at the downed form of Riddle, further aggravating his injuries and before the ethereal creature could pull itself from the rubble, Harry reformed into a fully grown Entrumpment. The rhino-like beast gave a cry and charged. It's elongated horn caught Tom square in the chest and threw him into another section of restraints, scattering the tables and chairs in a cloud of chalky smoke as it pulverised one of the building's support beams, causing the entire thing to crumple inwards like a toppled castle of cards.

Harry flew upwards and reformed into many spikes, each as thick as Hagrid's waist, before the sharp points rained down on the pile of rubble, punching through stone and steel like tissue paper.

Voldemort burst from the piles of stone, his Dementor robes torn, his magic bleeding from him as he roared with apoplectic fury. He transformed his mind into a ball of thunder, bolts of energy crackling furiously as they whipped at the air in jagged, arcing patterns.

The cloud of electricity pulsed angrily before tearing across the Square, not towards Harry's conscious which now floated over the fountain as a large raven but towards his physical body which hadn't moved since the battle began.

Harry's mind froze momentarily in surprise before roaring after Riddle. He had been closer to his body and as such had the advantage. Taking a leaf from Tom's book, Harry reformed into a barrier only where Voldemort's was as hard a diamond, Harry's was malleable and ever changing; like a giant bubble.

The bubble barrier caught the cloud of energy just before it struck Harry's physical body and wrapped itself around it, absorbing it within itself and dragged it back across the Square, it's surface expanding and contracting to keep the volatile mind inside.

When it had removed the Dark Lord's mind a safe distance, Harry's bubble threw it to the ground, dashing the crackles of energy against the street.

This was getting out of hand. If things continued on this way, the entirety of Hogsmeade would be destroyed. The Square already looked like a war zone, nothing like the grand, proud place it was a few hours ago. Harry could only imagine what it would have looked like if there were people in the area. If they weren't hit in the scuffle or crushed by flying debris, the magical backlash from the battle would have scorched the skin from their bones if it didn't destroy their minds first. He had to end this.

_I have to give it to you, Tom, for someone without a lot of practice in this technique, you certainly make up for it in tenacity. _Harry sent with his mind, his thoughts echoing through the air so that only Riddle could hear them. _But I'm afraid that you've forgotten one very important thing._

_Oh? _Voldemort asked as he pushed himself off the ground, once more in the guise of a Dementor. If he was angry, this thoughts gave away nothing, making him sound as cool and composed as always. _And what's that, Harry?_

_I don't play fair._ Suddenly, Harry threw himself back, away from Riddle and into his own body.

He felt his mind cry out in despair as he once more shackled it to it's physical bonds but he roughly shoved it aside as his eyes snapped open.

He leapt forward, Barbarisater raised, and Apparated directly in front of Voldemort's seated body, still missing most of it's mind.

With a roar, Harry attempted to cleave Riddle in twain before a pair of red eyes snapped open and Tom launched himself out of his seat, just as the blade carved through the chair. The powerful Cutting Curse that had been charged into the blade arced from the swing, cutting straight through the stonework of Relo's Bistro like a hot knife through butter.

'_Damn, his mind made it back to his body!'_ Harry though as he reversed his swing and sent another Cutting Curse towards Riddle who's wand appeared in his hand just in time to raise a shield.

"Not very sporting, Harry." Tom said, unnerved at how close he'd came to being reduced to half the man he always was, literally.

"Sportsmanship is overrated." Harry shrugged as he slid his own wand from it's holster.

Riddle's head cocked to the side as he regarded the magical foci, his shield still in full effect. "Excellent craftsmanship." He commented, impressed. "Though I don't see any distinct characteristics or brandings pointing to the creator. If I may ask, who made it?"

Harry glanced down at his faithful wand. The wood was a light smoky grey, almost white, and smooth. The handle hand a black leather grip around it, just to give a little extra friction. It was fourteen inches long and sealed within it was a single hair from the coppery mane of a rather venerable Manticore, excellent for Wards, high damage spells, high energy output and could be rather temperamental at times. The wood, while soft to touch, was extremely hard. On more than one occasion, Harry had actually used the thing like a knife and stabbed straight through a man with little difficulty. The wood was also highly conductive of magic, coming straight from trees that grew in only one place: the agricultural gardens in the Inquisitorial Conclave. Harry had often admired the Grey Sentinels, as the trees were often dubbed. Smooth grey/white bark with nearly no knots or imperfections gracefully curved up from the ground and into elegant branches bearing just the right amount of pure white leaves as to not look bare or uncared for. Their simplicity had always appealed to him.

Harry twirled his Sentinel and Manticore wand in his hand. "This?" He asked innocently. "I created this myself. Wandsmithing was a required class for all Wizards in the Inquisition. We need to know how to create them in case ours breaks and most Wandsmiths won't use the more advantageous additions one could place into a wand so we do it ourselves."

Tom nodded thoughtfully. "Very nice, almost at the level of Olivander's quality."

"How about I give you a demonstration of it's quality?" Harry asked with a tight smirk. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

Tom Disapparated out of the spell's path but the second he landed, he was beseeched by a barrage of spells ranging from Cutting Curses to the real nasties like the Entrail Exploding Curse, the Reveller's Finery and the Three Unforgivables.

With a speed and grace you'd have never expected from a man of Riddle's age, the monster weaved and dodge not unlike a snake as the two traded fire.

Tom launched a Cruciatus followed by two Cutters and a Killing Curse as he Banished a table into the path of a Reductor which shattered the delicate piece of furniture into kindling.

Harry deflected the Unforgivables with Barbarisater and danced around the sliver thin Cutters. With a flourish, he Transfigured the water from the busted fountain that covered the ground underneath Riddle into oil and fired an _Incendo_ as he whispered an incantation. Three black shapes shot from the tip of his wand and quickly unfurled into three Dementors. The soul sucking wraiths flew across the ground behind the _Incendo,_ towards Tom.

Voldemort cast a Flame Freezing Charm on the area around him as the flame spell hit the oil, lighting it ablaze. He swept up his wand and the flaming liquid swam up and engulfed the advancing Dementors, igniting their cloaks. The creatures squealed and thrashed as they were consumed and Tom Banished them against a far wall, destroying the Conjured things.

Before Riddle could launch a second barrage, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him tightly from behind, pining his arms to his sides. He looked over his shoulder to see the dead face of the man he'd killed at the table staring back at him, unseeing eyes wide and haunting.

"_Confringo!_"

Voldemort's eyes widened and he managed to twist his body enough for the Blasting Curse to hit the Inferius, blasting it off him with all the power of a moving train, destroying the corpse enough that it wouldn't be able to move again.

With a flick of his wand, the rubble behind Harry was Transfigured into a rabid Hippogriff which gave a mighty screech and charged the boy.

Harry heard the screech and ducked just in time to avoid a large claw from tearing his head from his shoulder. He spun with Barbarisater, taking the beast's other front leg off with a spray of blood. The half-horse half-eagle cawed in pain as it collapsed to the ground, kicking madly as it tried to clamber to it's remaining feet.

A point blank Killing Curse put an end to it's efforts.

Before he could do much else, a Cutting Curse nicked his leg, thankfully not severing it but cutting deeply into the meat. Harry roared in pain and dropped to the ground just in time to dodge the Decapitation Curse that had been aimed at the back of his neck.

Harry rolled across the cobbled ground, firing blindly as he bought himself enough time to get to his feet, favouring his right leg slightly.

He jabbed his wand at the fountain and the statue of Halgrum Hogsmeade sprung to life. It leapt off the platform with it's hammer raised high, it's stone mouth opened in a silent battle cry. Tom jumped back as the weapon was brought down, smashing the ground. He fired a Blasting Curse of his own but only succeeded in removing a part of it's shoulder, not hindering it in any way. He ducked another swing just as Halgrum's ever faithful war pig Pinky came clopping around it's master.

For a fat stone pig, the thing was fast and Riddle didn't have enough time to level a spell at it before it's stone tusks, thankfully blunted, caught him in the chest and tossed him aside several meters.

Tom hit the ground and used the momentum to roll to his knees, one hand braced to the ground as his other felt his chest. He spat out a wad of blood. His Horntail hide armour had taken the brunt of the impact but he could feel a broken rib or two which was making breathing difficult. He cast a quick Numbing Charm on himself and levelled his wand at the pig who had returned for a second charge.

"_Confringo!_" He snarled and watched with immense satisfaction as the spell hit the statue head on, obliterating it. "Bloody Hell…" He groaned as Halgrum came in swinging, intent on avenging the loss of his partner.

He threw himself back, firing off another Blasting Curse, this time managing to remove the stone man's hammer as well as both his hands. The statue looked at it's new stumps in confusion and it gave Voldemort the chance to cast more Blasters, reducing it to a small pile of stone.

Harry watched as Tom dispatched his animated statues and painfully clambered to his feet, obviously still suffering pain from getting tossed by a stone pig. He had used the time the statues bought him to heal his cut leg, giving him full mobility again.

He drew his wand back and basically threw the Reveller's Finery towards the snake-like man, the purple and pink Curse cutting through the air with a _screech_ing sound like a firework.

Riddle saw it coming and ducked to the side, allowing it to streak past him, striking one of the corpses outside Relo's Bistro. The body twitched and jerked violently for a second before exploding from the inside in a shower of gore and purple flame, covering the front of the restaurant in crimson humour.

With a whispered word, a great whip of flame erupted from the tip of the Phoenix feather wand and he cracked it.

Harry took a hasty step back but still received a small scorch to the front of his armour. He cast the Charm he needed on his hand and waited for the next attack. When it came, Harry's hand snapped out, catching the flame whip in his hand and holding on tightly. He wrapped the flames around his hand and jerked, pulling Voldemort off balance.

Quickly, he cast the Killing Curse only to bite back a growl as a piece of masonry intercepted it.

Tom cancelled his spell and instead fired of a chain of Curses. A Killing Curse, two Cruciatus', a Bone Breaker and another Killing Curse streaked across the Square.

Harry back peddled as they came nearer. Barbarisater bucked in his hand, deflecting the first _Avada Kedavra_ before she knocked the others away from her master.

Harry brought his wand arm before him, his forearm horizontal, and rested the blade atop it, it's tip pointed at Riddle. It almost looked like he was taking aim…

Harry smirked. "_Ictus_."

Voldemort's look of confusion was replaced by one of surprise as the sword's blade shot out, elongating at an incredible rate as it speared towards him.

He Disapparated out of the way, the blade cleaving through the space he dematerialised in and punched into the stone wall behind, stabbing deeply into the thick stonework.

Harry withdrew Barbarisater's blade slightly and slashed with practiced ease, not as unwieldy with the over length blade as one may have assumed.

Riddle growled as the blade scored a hit across his chest, cutting his robes but thankfully not getting past the armour. He needed to end this. If he had to guess, he'd say that it had been two hours since the battle had started and little over an hour since he and Harry began their face off. It was only a matter of time before his Death Eaters withdrew like planned and the smart bet was the Dumbledore would be here soon, hearing of the attack from the returning students. He could face Harry to a stand still but against the two of them and he'd be quickly overwhelmed.

Making up his mind, he ducked another slash and Apparated to the top of the fountain, atop the pedestal that had once held Halgrum and Pinky.

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut our fun short, Harry." He called to the boy. "Rest assured, we'll meet again."

Harry retracted Barbarisater and turned to face Tom fully, his stance easy but ready. "So soon?" He called back, spreading his arms. "We were just getting started."

Voldemort smirked down at him. "Oh, don't worry." He chuckled. "I have a feeling we'll meet again."

Harry's grin was predatory. "I intend to see that we do. I still have a job to do after all."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Riddle Disapparated, returning to his base of operations for the time being.

When he was gone, Harry dropped his arms to his side and sighed, his confident façade dropping, finally allowing his face and posture to show how tired he was. He staggered over to the fountain and took a seat on the rim with a weary groan. He unshrunk Barbarisater's sheath and slid her back home, once more disguised as a cane. He propped it up at his side and set his wand beside him before dropping his face into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. The fight had taken a lot out of him and he knew it had taken a lot out of Riddle too. His head throbbed with pain, there was a dull ache in his legs, he'd expelled a lot of magic and as a result he was starting to feel really hungry. Couple this with the general weariness that came from after a battle and the adrenaline leaving his system and you had one very tired Inquisitor.

Gathering himself, he managed to reach out to a familiar Essence. +_Patience? You okay?+_

There was a short pause. +_Yeah, all fine.+_ She sounded as tired as he was.

_+Good. Bruce?+_

_+Yeah, boss?+ _The Muggle answered back.

+_You're in charge of clean-up. Help the Aurors identify the dead and catalogue the evidence. Make sure they know that no one sees it before I do but first do a quick sweep of the village for any stragglers. I want one alive.+ _He ordered.

+_Got it.+_ He sent before Harry withdrew from his mind.

Cracking his neck to get rid of a kink, Harry glanced around at the Square.

It looked like two drunk Giants had decided to take up break dancing and had chosen the quaint little Square as their studio. Every restaurant was damaged in some way, all of them with their windows blown out and three were demolished entirely, their roofs and upper levels caved in. There was a large chunk missing from the side of the fountain and it's statues were gone entirely. The flowers were burnt up and shrived from the Legilimency battle and the once smooth cobbled ground had giant craters in it in numerous places.

To put it simply, the place was a wreck.

He groaned softly. The paperwork after this investigation was going to be such a pain…

He sighed and turned on the wide marble ledge until he was lying down on it, one leg on the ground to stop him from rolling over into the fountain's water. He was exhausted. He'd rest a bit, maybe even catch a few winks before going back to work. He yawned and covered his eyes with one arm, the other substituting as his pillow, and quickly fell into a slumber, his body winding down from the battle with his parent's killer.

In the ruins of Hogsmeade Square, Harry Potter slept.

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**TOUCHDOWN!!!**

**This marks the end of what is officially the longest thing I have ever written on MS Word EVER! 43 pages of HP goodness. That's 19,135 words in total. Wow…**

**So, what did you think? Did you like my depiction of Voldemort? How did you like the fight scene? Could you understand it okay? What did you think of MY version of a Legilimency battle? Answer these questions and give your response and thoughts by hitting the little green button below. Go on, you know you want to.**

**Just so you know, I will go into more detail about Harry's abilities in greater detail later, especially the Thought Projection which will play a major part in the story as a whole.**

**This part is just to settle my own mind for you.**

**The Legilimency battle. The things that were fighting weren't Harry and Tom's physical bodies but their minds, independent from their bodies by use of Thought Projection, the highest form of the Legilimency arts. While like this, the world appeared entirely black with everything outlined in blue and people glowing with their Essence. If anyone was watching the battle, they wouldn't have seen the two minds going at it, but they would have seen the damage they caused, e.g. demolishing the Square. Only Harry and Voldemort saw and heard everything that went on during that battle.**

**Next Chapter: Harry discovers the truth about his family's betrayal, the Order of the Phoenix witness how this so-called **_**"boy"**_** faired against the Dark Lord and a long awaited conversation takes place…**


	7. A kind word and a Cruciatus

Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR, the Inquisition belongs to Games Workshop, and the assorted characters belong to Games Workshop, and Dan Abnett.

**A/N: Sorry, another long AN but I make up for it in chapter length.**

**I have yet to decide upon the pairing but I have noticed that many have expressed concern that the HarryxDaphne wouldn't work out as she is too sheltered and wouldn't be able to understand Harry and how he works.**

**I agree.**

**She wouldn't be able to understand him since she doesn't know him yet and she is admittedly not as mature as Harry (But still more mature than most her age). Let me tell you now that I do not intend for Harry to simply fall for a student and for her to immediately be okay with his life and choices. If Harry and Daphne DO get together, it will be after a long time of getting to know one another. They would talk quite a bit and start to understand each other more before any romance happens.**

**Many have also said that since she is not a fighter, Patience or Tonks would be a better choice. That because they are both fighters, Harry and one of these ladies would get along more. I am both for and against this but I have another thing to point out. At one point in their lives, Tonks, Patience and even Harry were innocent. They didn't grow up surrounded by fighting (Although Harry was trained from an early age for it). Circumstances change people and they learn to adapt to those changes. If, and I'm not saying I will, but if Harry and Daphne DO get together, circumstances will change Daphne. She will have to grow both mentally and physically if she wants to be in Harry's life and he would tell her so before even thinking about committing himself to her. There would be ups and downs at many points along the way but eventually, she would become just as mature as Harry, Patience or Tonks are.**

**For those of you who have written off the HarryxDaphne pairing on the grounds that she is too sheltered/immature/innocent or any other variation, I ask that you think about what I have said here. I know I may sound like I'm rooting for the pairing but I simply want to point out that the characters in this story will be constantly evolving and changing, meaning that nothing is impossible. Just think about it.**

**Anyway, I've taken up enough of your valuable time. Onward, good reader!**

* * *

Back at the carriage sight, Harry found Bruce talking to a haggard looking Patience who sat on the steps of one of the carriages. Her leather pants looked a little scorched and there was a pink tint around her hands and mouth, a faint trace of the blood that had once been there but other than this she looked fine, if a little tired. They turned as they heard him approach.

"Trouble?" He asked, his eyes taking Patience in.

"Bellatrix Lestrange." She said simply.

"Did you kill her?"

She shook her head. "No, I managed to hurt her some but she cast some sort of flash Charm that blinded me for a few seconds just as the Death Eaters began to Apparate away and fled herself. Nearly nailed me with a Killing Cure on her way out though." She looked rather annoyed. "Next time I see her, I'm to tear her apart." She growled.

Harry could understand that. Vampires were predators by nature, proud ones at that, and the prospect of their prey escaping always succeeded in making them more than a little violent. He wasn't complaining. If she wanted to take down Bellatrix Lestrange he was all for it but he'd be sure to remind her not to do something stupid. Like get herself killed.

He turned from the undead beauty to face his gunman. "Prisoners?"

Bruce tapped Patience's shoulder to get her to move, which she did with a small huff at him interrupting her thoughts of disembowelling a certain former Black, and opened the carriage door. There, ruffed up like a Christmas turkey, was an unconscious Death Eater, his mask removed and his outer robe shed, leaving him in his black shirt and pants, his arms and legs tied. Bruce had even taken the man's shoes.

"Where'd you find him?" Harry asked as he pushed the man's sleeve back, revealing the Dark Mark branded onto his right forearm.

Bruce flicked his head towards Patience. "She knocked him out just before tangling with Lestrange."

Patience glowered. "I was _about _to feed off him. Fighting that Bella bitch took more out of me than it should have."

Harry said nothing but removed two small phials from the dispenser attached to his belt and tossed them to her.

Patience caught the bottles of blood and with a wave of her hand, restored them to their original size and downed them quickly. "Ahh." She sighed in content. "B positive. Always good for winding down. Did I taste horse?"

"Centaur." Harry replied, now rifling through the Death Eater's pockets.

"Here." Bruce said, handing him a small sack.

Harry opened it to see the Death Eater's possessions inside. A wallet containing three Galleons, six Sickles and three Knuts as well as a picture of the Death Eater next to his wife. A small folding knife. A set of keys. A receipt from a Wizarding news agents for a copy of _Teen Witches Uncovered_. A syringe filled with obscura; a highly addictive Wizarding narcotic. A wand. Absolutely nothing to give an indication of where Tom was or what his plans were.

Harry cinched the sack closed and tucked it into a pocket just as Albus Dumbledore came striding up to them, the Director of the DMLE, Auror Scrimgeour and Cornelius Fudge right behind him.

"Harry!" He called as they approached. "What happened here?"

Harry raised a brow and looked towards the battered village, pillars of smoke still rising from some areas. "Well, Albus, it appears the village has been attacked. Oh, wait…yes, it has indeed been attacked."

Dumbledore frowned. "I don't think this is the time for sarcasm, Harry."

"What do you want from me, Dumbledore, I warned you this would happen but you refused to listen!" He snapped. He paused for a moment before asking. "What's the tally?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Fortunately, the students returned from the village mostly either unscathed or with superficial injuries. Only Mr Zabini of Slytherin and Mr Combs and Ms Ambers of Ravenclaw require an overnight stay in the Hospital Wing."

Amelia spoke up next. "Twelve of my Aurors are dead and there may be more by the end of the day. Thirty one were wounded and six will never be fit for active service again." Harry could see the pain behind her eyes. She really cared for those under her command it seemed.

Finally, Scrimgeour spoke. "We counted the bodies. Most of the civilians were in their homes at the time of the attack, not wanting to get caught up in the Hogwarts rush, but of the ones that were out, twenty nine are dead, forty four wounded. Of the approximately one-hundred Death Eaters that attacked, we've found the bodies of fifty seven with various causes of death but none wounded or Stunned. They managed to cast _Enervate _on the ones we did Stun before they Disapperated out. The attack happened too fast and there were simply too many to properly detain them." He shook his head with a sigh.

"So we have no prisoners?" The Minister asked.

"Well, it appears Harry has taken care of that." Dumbledore said with a smile, nodding towards the bound man in the carriage.

Fudge started, having not seen the criminal a few feet in front of him but the sight of the ropes assured him he'd be safe. "Excellent!" He said, his face lighting up. "We should have him taken into custody immediately. Scrimgeour, see to it."

"Not so fast." Harry said, stepping between the prisoner and the Ministry officials. "He is currently in my custody and therefore in the custody of the Inquisition. He goes where I say he goes. I still need to question him."

"O-Of course but don't you want us to take him someplace you can interview him at your own leisure?" Fudge asked. He sneered at the unconscious man. "I shouldn't think you'd want this criminal following you everywhere."

"Don't worry about that." Harry assured him. "I plan to question him up at the castle."

Dumbledore's head snapped round at the mention of his school. "I don't believe I'm too comfortable with that idea, Harry." He said, a frown stretching his face. "You're speaking of bringing a dangerous criminal into a school full of children. It could prove dangerous."

Harry's eyebrow arched. "Didn't you bring three fully grown female Dragons into the school then have students compete to steal an egg from their nests?"

Dumbledore had the grace to look minutely sheepish. "Yes. But we had the strictest security procedures in place to ensure nothing would endanger the student population."

"The man is unconscious, wandless, restrained and under guard. He'll be no more a threat to the students that Mrs Norris." He assured the old teacher. He turned towards the carriage when Amelia's voice spoke out.

"Would you mind if we witnessed the interview? If we do, it could provide and insight into the Death Eater organisation." She asked.

Harry paused for a moment before saying, "I see no reason why not. Shall we?"

He hauled himself into the carriage as Patience settled herself on the driver's seat next to Bruce. They were to act as guards and lookouts for the carriage containing pretty much the entire leadership of the 'Light' side in this war. Not that they really needed to with Harry and Dumbledore present and Amelia and Scrimgeour were no slouches either.

"Shacklebolt!" Scrimgeour barked to a tall, powerfully built black man clad in Auror robes. "You're in charge here until either myself or the Director release you." With that, he followed Director Bones and Minister Fudge into the carriage, followed closely by Dumbledore.

The carriage lurched as the Thestrals began to pull it back towards Hogwarts, the uneven road making for a slightly bumpy trip. The Ministry personnel kept wary eyes on the unconscious man lying on the floor but neither Harry nor Dumbledore seemed concerned; the former sitting with his head bowed and the latter staring out the window at the passing scenery.

They sat in silence, only the crunching of dirt and stone under the carriage's wheels breaking the quiet. Twenty minutes later, they passed through the school's boar flanked gates and pulled into the large courtyard where the three carriages Bruce had sent the injured students back in sat unmanned.

They unloaded from the carriage with Bruce tossing the Death Eater over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Harry led the group through the great double doors where they met a haggard looking Professor McGonagall waiting for them.

"Minerva." Dumbledore greeted his second-in-command. "I trust things are well here?"

She nodded, the few hairs that had fallen out of their severe bun swaying slightly. "The students have been treated for their injuries and Poppy has dispensed Calming Draughts to them all as well as a dose of Dreamless Sleep to some of the more traumatised ones. They're in their common rooms now."

Dumbledore nodded his thanks.

Harry then led the group through the castle until they came to the Inquisitor's quarters. Giving the password, Harry made his way to one of the spare bedrooms. When he opened it, the Headmaster's eyes widened.

"This…isn't the room the House Elves set up, Harry." Dumbledore pointed out unnecessarily.

"No, it isn't but I knew I'd need one eventually." Harry agreed.

What was once a lavish bedroom had now been transformed into a bare cell. The floor, walls and ceiling had been replaced by solid concrete, lit by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling behind a grate. Apart from the one they entered from, there was only one other door; one made of dark steel, set near one of the walls. In the centre sat a single metal chair.

Harry directed Bruce to place the prisoner on the chair and back away. With a wave of his hand, the man's Death Eater garb disappeared, leaving him naked to the world and another wave Conjured heavy chains to bind him to the chair, their links biting into his skin uncomfortably.

The others, sans Bruce and Patience, were surprised at Harry's undressing of the man but said nothing as they were led through the other door into a small dark room. One wall was completely transparent, allowing them to see into the room where Harry stood before the bound Death Eater.

When the door to the observation room was closed, Harry began.

Taking out his wand, he gave it a wave, dropping the temperature to mach that outside, causing their breath to mist. Giving the spell a little time to take full effect, Harry aimed his wand at the Death Eater. "_Enervate._"

The man jerked slightly and gave a low groan as he was jarred into full awareness. His blurry eyes blinked open and when he saw his bland surroundings and felt the cold, making him acutely aware of his state of undress, everything came back to him. The attack, terrorising Hogsmeade and that black haired bitch knocking him out. He panicked slightly realising that he must have been captured but his indignation of his treatment quickly overrode it.

"What is this!?" He asked the boy before him angrily. "You can't treat me like this! I have rights!"

"You're in the custody of the Inquisition." Harry informed him. "You have no rights whatsoever."

The Death Eater froze at that and he began to sweat even in the cold of the room when he saw the distinctive lightning bolt on the boy's forehead. It was that Potter bastard! "You!" He gasped.

"Me." Harry said simply. He began to slowly circle the bound man, who's eyes followed him as best they could given that one of the chain was wrapped around his neck, restricting his movements. "You are in serious trouble. You were found during a Death Eater attack in full Death Eater garb, you caused massive damage to people and property, a simple test of your wand will most likely confirm use of at least one of the Unforgivables and you attacked one of my staff who just happens to be a recognised agent of the Inquisition. You face imprisonment at best, death at worst. If you answer my questions truthfully and freely, I will be lenient."

The Death Eater spat at Harry's feet. "Go to Hell. I know you can't authorise the use of Veritiserum without _full _Wizengamot approval and that would take weeks. Till then I say nothing."

Harry shook his head at the man, his face giving away nothing. "You're wrong. While it's true that Aurors cannot utilise Veritaserum without written consent, I am under no such constraints. I say again. Help us and I will be lenient."

"Do your worst!" He snarled at the boy. "My Lord has had each of us trained to fight Veritaserum. I will give you nothing."

Harry tilted his head to the side, as if confused. "Who said anything about using Veritaserum? I have no such plans to use it today."

"What do you mean?" The Death Eater asked, distrusting the boy.

Harry twirled his wand absentmindedly. "There's a little saying I thought up during my early days as an Interrogator: "Sometimes you can get more with a kind word and a Cruciatus than you can with several kind words and a bottle of Veritaserum"." He brought his wand to bare on the bound man. "Let's test that theory. _Crucio._"

The eyes of those in the observation room widened in horror as the man's agonised screams cut the air like a knife and Dumbledore whirled around, fully intending to stop this only for the door to be blocked by Bruce and Patience. "You can't go in." Patience warned him.

"He is torturing a defenceless prisoner!" Dumbledore exclaimed. It was bad enough that Harry performed the spell on a spider in front of a class full of students but actually performing it on a person!? He'd been having some serious doubts about Harry for the last month since they first met and his fear of Harry falling to the Dark had only increased with each passing day. He'd hoped to convinced the boy to show some more humility and compassion through a few carefully thought out conversations but the boy had either shot down his arguments or snubbed him completely. If this continued, Harry could fall to the same seductive influences as Voldemort. This could not be allowed to happen!

"He is performing an interrogation." Bruce replied casually. "You should count your blessings, Headmaster. He's already shown a great deal of leniency by simply allowing you to view it. Don't push him or he'll push back. _Hard_."

Dumbledore thought hard for a few minutes before blowing out a frustrated sigh. There was no winning this battle. He was sure that he could subdue them both and get into the room but the biggest problem would be Harry's reaction once he was in there. He doubted very much that the young Inquisitor would react well to him attacking his staff and the kind of authority the teen could bring to bear would see him stripped of his titles and imprisoned before he could blink. If Harry didn't try to kill him first.

He could only sit and bear the Death Eater's screams for what felt like an eternity before Harry finally lifted the spell, leaving a shaking, panting, sweating prisoner shackled to the chair.

"Ready to cooperate yet?" Harry asked politely.

The man glared at him through bloodied lips which he had bitten through in a vain attempt to stifle his screams. "F-F-Fuck you, P-Potter!" The man shouted as tremors wracked his body.

Harry shrugged and pointed his wand at him again. "_Crucio_."

Harry had to give it to the man. It took four full Cruciatus' before he agreed to talk. While they weren't fully powered, they were still quite strong. Normally Harry would have saved time and tore into the man's mind but sometimes the target's thoughts were muddled, there were mental traps designed both to keep intruders out and, if they were only a servant like this guy, there could be traps set to kill the prisoner if they sensed a foreign presence, but most of all Harry was still a little winded from his Legilimency duel with Tom. His head was throbbing regularly, not helped at all by the Death Eater's ear splitting screams, and the first thing he planned to do after the interrogation was finished was to find a mental restorative.

"Wh…What do y-you want?" The prisoner panted, his head lolling forward on his heaving chest.

"How about your name to begin with?" Harry asked pleasantly.

The man glowered at Harry's casual tone, as if he _weren't_ brutally torturing someone for information. Not that he could lecture anyone for torturing people. "Damian Kilpler."

"Okay, Damian. Can I call you Damian?"

"No." The man growled.

"I'm gonna call you Damian. So, Damian, why did you attack Hogsmeade?"

"The Dark Lord ordered us to."

"What was his goal?"

"To draw you out of the castle."

"So that _was_ all there was to it." Harry said to himself. To Damian he asked, "Who recruited you?"

The man hesitated.

"I can always loosen your tongue if it'll help?" Harry said, giving his wand a twirl.

"Simon Elders; he's my supervisor at the Nimbus Broom Company, he recruited me a few weeks ago!" Damian said hastily, not relishing another go of the torture Curse.

"Exactly how long have you been a Death Eater?"

"Six or seven weeks."

"So that would be before the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return then, yes?" Harry asked to which Damian nodded. Harry glanced towards the one-way wall but said nothing. "Do you know the names of any other Death Eaters?"

"I can't tell you. They'll kill me."

"I'll kill you if you don't." Harry pointed out.

"You do and you get nothing!" Damian sneered.

"Fine, let me rephrase that. I'll tear the names from your skull with Legilimency _then_ kill you." Harry said, adding a slightly menacing growl at the end.

Damian shuddered in his chair then sagged. "Dodge Hilton. Betty Dorson. Dave Morris…"

Harry jotted the names down in a little notebook he Conjured. There were only ten or so names but it was a good start. When he got them all, Harry flipped the notebook shut and tucked it away into his coat pocked before looking back to Damian, who was starting to shiver badly from the cold. Harry didn't do anything to help. It would all be over soon.

He continued to pace around the bound man. "How many Death Eaters does Voldemort have?"

"I don't know, he doesn't tell us." Damian muttered.

"What about Werewolves?"

"I don't know."

"Giants? Vampires? Where are his bases? Who supplies his forces? What attacks is he planning?"

"I don't know!" Damian shouted.

"Then what do you know?" Harry asked loudly.

"Nothing! I've told you everything!" The Death Eater roared in frustration.

The room fell silent, the only sound being Damien's ragged breathing. Harry stopped behind the man's back, deep in thought.

They were all startled when the prisoner began to laugh. It wasn't a joyful one or even a humorous one. It was a laugh filled with contempt and loathing.

"Care to tell me what it is that's so funny?" Harry asked the back of the man's head.

Without looking up from his feet, Damian said, "You. You strut in here, thinking your all powerful because of that little trinket you carry. You think that just by waving your rosette around and proclaiming your authority, that it means people will fall over themselves to follow your orders. Let me tell you something. You're nothing, _boy_, except a small nuisance that the Dark Lord will do away with soon enough. The Ministry will fall and soon after your pitiful Inquisition will follow. Put me in prison if you want. Eventually the Dark Lord will rule all and I'll be there by his side, ridding the world of Muggle and Mudblood filth!" He was beyond them now, his voice that of a devout fanatic.

He waited for a response but received none. He heard Potter sigh, the sound of something sliding against leather then a crisp _click_ before Harry finally spoke, his voice cold and empty.

"No, Damian."

The Death Eater jumped as he felt cold metal pressed against the back of his skull.

"You won't."

Harry pulled the trigger.

He had just slid his gun back into it's holster when the door to the observation room was wrenched open and out stormed a _very_ angry Albus Dumbledore, followed by a grim pair of Aurors and a pale Minister, as well as Patience and Bruce, who followed behind leisurely.

"Harry, what in Merlin's name have you done!?"

Harry turned to the Supreme Mugwump, unfaltering in the face of the old wizard's anger. While Dumbledore may have intimidated some, Harry had seen Alizabeth when she was angry and he could say without any doubt that his old mentor beat the Headmaster hands down in the intimidation department.

"I executed my prisoner, Headmaster." Harry said calmly while secretly admiring the red creeping up Dumbledore's neck.

Albus gawked at the completely natural way Harry had said it before his face once more became thunderous. "He was a prisoner." He said lowly. "You promised him you would show leniency."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I did. I was lenient enough to kill him instead of sentencing him to the Dementor's Kiss like I planned to if he didn't help. Now his soul is free to be dragged into whatever pit in Hell is reserved for Riddle and his men instead of slowly digesting in the stomach of a Dementor. I don't know about you but that seems pretty lenient to me, Headmaster."

"He should have been taken into custody! He should have been given a trial and charged with his crimes like every other Death Eater!" The elder wizard exclaimed.

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "And just where, pray tell, would you have kept this prisoner? Unless you have forgotten, Azkaban has yet to be reinforced." He said, low and calmly.

"That doesn't matter! We would have worked something out until the reinforcements arrive. More needless death helps no one." Dumbledore said, trying to stifle his anger.

"What about the innocent people he would have tortured, raped and killed when he was inevitably freed from this hypothetical prison? I'd say that killing him has definitely benefited them." Harry challenged as he crossed his arms. He cocked his head slightly to the side. "Why are you so angry about this anyway?" He asked, honestly not knowing what the problem was.

Dumbledore blinked before saying incredulously, "Because it's wrong! By killing him you have robbed him of any chance of redemption."

"Redemption?" Harry laughed, looking at him like he was stupid. The others simply stood in the background, watching the drama unfold, knowing it probably wasn't wise to interfere. "Oh, I see." Harry said, eyes widening in sudden understanding. "You want to convince them to renounce Tom and bring them back to the 'Light'. Killing them would be meaningless if we can defeat Tom by turning his own men against him."

"Precisely." Dumbledore nodded, relieved that Harry was finally seeing things his way. Maybe he could even convince the boy to submit to a minor Blocking Ward to remove his ability to perform the Unforgivables and even some of the other Dark Arts Dumbledore feared he knew to remove any temptation he may have to use them again?

"You're even more of a fool than I gave you credit for."

"What!?" Dumbledore blundered, blindsided by the accusation.

Harry stared back at the man sternly. When he spoke, it was with firm conviction. "You heard him in there. He was firmly set in his belief that Riddle was right and that anything not _pure_ by their standards has to be killed. No amount of preaching, even from you, would turn him from his path; one he _willingly_ chose for himself. He was more than a simple follower, he was a fanatic. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought Riddle was some kind of Messiah or God sent to purge the world."

"And that is precisely why we must convince him and other potential followers of Voldemort otherwise." Dumbledore sighed, seemingly extremely weary. "Don't give us another enemy to fight, Harry. We must stand as one against the Dark and it would take a great deal of effort, manpower and resources to not only capture prisoners but hide them from you to prevent a slaughter."

Harry narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Dumbledore, getting in the man's face. When he spoke his voice was a low growl, almost a whisper, forcing the others to strain to hear it. "If you are implying, _sir_, that you would interfere with my investigation, then believe me when I say that I will not hesitate to rip you down from your high pedestal and bury you so deep that not even God himself would be able to find you. And believe me," Harry's eyes seemed to glow with unbridled malice. "I would gladly watch you _burn_."

"Are you threatening me, Harry." Dumbledore asked quietly, meeting that blazing gaze with his own glacial one.

Harry's grin was feral. "I'm promising you, Albus."

"If I may ask," Amelia interjected quietly, fearing that the two were coming dangerously close to trading blows. "What now?"

Harry's eyes stayed locked with Dumbledore's as he backed out of the old man's personal space before he looked over at the Director. "There was roughly one hundred Death Eaters in that attack. Just over fifty are dead. Judging by how much time Riddle has had to recruit and taking into account the fact that he's had to do his recruiting quietly for fear of tipping off the Ministry to his resurrection, I'd say he put a lot into that attack, maybe even using most of his Death Eaters. He probably wasn't expecting not getting them back. Most likely he thought that if you captured any you'd send them to Azkaban, even being as weak as it is, and he could simply mount another attack on the prison and reclaim them while killing more Aurors. With this setback the amount of Death Eater attacks should be low for a while. You should bring in teams to take any wounded to St Mungo's and restore the village. You might want to have someone look at Hogsmeade Square while you're at it." He finished slightly sheepishly.

Amelia nodded then glanced at the body in the room. "And him?"

Taking out his wand, Harry Vanished the gore and the chains then Transfigured the corpse into a bone before Levitating it into Scrimgeour's hand, who immediately Conjured a box to put it in. "Release his body to his widow. If she asks, tell her about his participation in the attack but not the interrogation. No need to be cruel to the woman."

"And killing her husband _wasn't _cruel?" Rufus asked incredulously.

"Making her think he suffered before he died is. Tell her he died quickly if you think it'll help." Harry told the grizzled Auror. "Anything else?"

The shook their heads and started to shuffle towards the door. All except Dumbledore who stared at Harry for a few long moments, seemingly searching for something, before saying, "Harry, if you would I would like you to join me in my office later this evening. It shouldn't take more than a few hours at most."

Harry though about it for a moment before nodding. He led the group to the portrait and sealed it shut behind them. With a sigh, Harry began to shed himself of his armour and weapons, not noticing Patience and Bruce watching him from the staircase to the Interrogation Room.

"Care to explain all that?"

Harry glanced at Bruce while he undid the straps of his holster from around his thigh. "What do you mean?"

"He means, what did Dumbledore do to make you so mad? I don't think I've ever seen you look at someone like that before." Patience said, frowning in confusion.

Harry paused as he undid his armour before shrugging it off. Without turning back at them, he said, "In my entire life I've only truly hated fifteen people. Albus Dumbledore just happens to be one of them."

"What do you mean."

"It's private."

"Business private or personal private?" Patience asked.

Harry gathered his things and began to walk towards his bedroom. "Personal private." He said quietly.

Patience and Bruce backed off at that. Harry was usually very open with them and if he withheld something, it was usually for a good reason. That, plus they never butted into each others' 'personal private' business.

They all had ghosts that haunted them, refusing to go away.

* * *

At nine o'clock that evening, Harry met Dumbledore in his office. The Headmaster was stood beside his fireplace alongside, surprisingly, McGonagall and Snape.

"Ah, Harry." The old man said jauntily. Apparently he had forgotten their confrontation in the Interrogation Room. Either that or he was hiding it from his two professors. "Now that everyone's here, let's be off."

"Hold on." Harry stopped them. "Could you tell me where we'll be off to? You didn't exactly fill me in earlier.

"Oh yes, my apologies. I just thought it time to introduce you to the _other_ element in this war." He said, eyes twinkling merrily.

"_Other_ element?" The Inquisitor asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see." Albus said teasingly, annoying Harry quite a bit. Grabbing a fistful of Floo Powder from the ornamental jar, he tossed it into his fire with the words, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

'_Grimmauld Place?'_ Harry thought. Looking at Dumbledore questioningly, he said, "Haven't you mentioned that before?"

Dumbledore merely smiled and vanished into the flames. Snape followed with a brief scathing look at Harry and McGonagall gestured for Harry to go first.

Wearily, he stepped towards the fireplace, his hand resting on the handle of his gun, following his own rewritten version of the Scout's Code: "Always be prepared, paranoid and heavily armed" and the good old "Never walk into a strange Floo". They just made good sense.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the dancing green flames and his world spun.

He was disgorged on the other end and he immediately moved into the corner nearest him as McGonagall swept out of the Floo a moment later.

They had arrived into a rather dingy looking sitting room. The blinds on the windows were drawn and the lights were kept low. Silver ornaments of Goblin origin decorated the space but their splendour was hidden under a layer of grime and dust. Briefly he wondered if they were meeting Tom and his Death Eaters for a late dinner.

He tensed as the door opened and in walked two people.

The first was a tall, skinny, slightly drawn man with greying hair. His face bore a few scars and there seemed to be a slightly depressed aura about him. His robes were a little patched and he looked a little pale but other than that he looked fine.

The second one was far more recognisable.

Clad in fine black robes, his shaggy black hair tumbling around a handsome, if slightly haunted face, the man stopped in the doorway. He appeared to be strong in body and carried himself with confidence and walked with a bit of a swagger. He saw slightly taller than Harry but thinner than him. He was also looking directly at the young Inquisitor with a mix of hope, disbelief, happiness and relief in his eyes.

"Hello, Harry." Said Sirius Black.

Harry stood, his jaw slightly drooping and his eyes wide as he stared at the man. Here was his father's best friend, his own Godfather; a man he thought locked away in Azkaban for the last fifteen years. He looked the same, if a little older, from the one or two pictures Harry had seen of him. The room was quiet as Harry struggled to comprehend this revelation. Harry blinked once to make sure this was not an illusion. Then blinked again. Finally he did the only thing he could think to do.

He pulled his gun and fired.

Sirius had seen the flicker behind the boy's eyes. "Harry, wait!" He threw himself behind the couch as a bullet shattered the doorframe. The Wizards in the room ducked for cover as Harry fired into the couch, trying to hit the bastard behind it. The bastard that sold out _his parents_!

"Harry!" Dumbledore shouted, trying to get the boy's attention but the teen seemed to be beyond them now, his face twisted into an angry snarl. Before the boy could regain his senses and start brining magic into play, Dumbledore flicked his wand at the wall behind the teen. Thick arms of stone reached out from the wood and wrapped around Harry, dragging him against the wall where more hands struggled to pin him down. Dumbledore flew to his feet and strode towards the furious Inquisitor before firing off a Noisemaker Charm right over his head.

Harry grimaced and flinched at the deafening bang which succeeded in overpowering his temper, if only for a short while.

"Harry, you need to listen! There are factors that you're not aware of!" Dumbledore quickly urged, knowing that the spells wouldn't hold the last Potter for long. The last thing anyone needed was an overemotional Inquisitor.

Harry's green eyes snapped to Dumbledore and he glared with such intensity that the Headmaster was almost positive that would burst free at any moment and burn him to cinders. "Dumbledore," Harry growled lowly, causing the room's occupants to shiver. The boy's voice had somehow changed, becoming deeper and unnaturally ethereal. It almost sounded like there were two voices speaking; one Harry's and the other an echo that spoke a split second after the first, making the teen sound impossible ancient and venerable. Harry strained against his restraints, leaning close to Dumbledore. "You have exactly three seconds to tell me why you're harbouring a wanted felon before I kill you and everyone else in this room."

"I understand you're angry, Harry." The old man began quietly, as to not anger the teen further. "But believe me when I say that Sirius _did not_ betray your parents to Voldemort."

"He was their _Secret Keeper_. He was the only one who had the ability to betray them." Harry ground out through gritted teeth.

"I know how you feel, Harry, because I was under the same impression. It was only a few years ago that I learned the truth." Dumbledore said calmly.

"And what _truth_ would that be?"

"That Sirius was not your parent's Secret Keeper. Peter Pettigrew was."

Silence descended upon the sitting room of Grimmauld Place. Remus crouched near a shaken Sirius, both of them eyeing the son of their best friends as Snape and McGonagall crouched near the fire, their wands drawn in case the emotional teen decided to start firing again.

"You're lying." Harry said quietly, his eyes boring into Dumbledore's. "Pettigrew's dead. Black killed him."

"No, he didn't, Harry." Dumbledore shook his head. "You're parents switched Secret Keepers from Sirius to Peter without telling anyone, not even me. When Sirius went to confront Peter after Voldemort tried to kill you, Sirius went after him. When he was cornered, Peter destroyed the street behind him, killing twelve Muggles before escaping down a sewer drain. He was a rat Animagus, Harry." He silently urged the boy to believe him.

Harry stared into Dumbledore's eyes for a few very long minutes before barking out, "Black! Get out here."

Slowly and carefully, Sirius stood form behind the ruined couch. He gave Remus a reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking around to stand before Harry, Dumbledore slightly between them. It astounded him how much Harry looked like James, even more so from up close.

Harry stared at the man hard, the man he was convinced had sold out his patents, before reaching out with his mind. He didn't know if Black felt it and accepted it or if he simply had no experience in Occlumency but Harry encountered no resistance as he searched the man's memories. Images of his parents at different stages of their lives danced before his eyes and Harry wished nothing more than to plunder them from Black's head and leave him a frothing, mindless mess but he slid deeper. There! The memory of Black talking with James and Lily Potter, of their decision to switch Secret Keepers and of him confronting Pettigrew in an alley right before the little man blew away the street behind him and transformed into a rat, disappearing down a sewer grate.

He withdrew his mind from Black's, his anger dissipating. Dumbledore slowly released the restraints but kept his wand in hand just in case. Harry slid his gun into it's holster and fixed his coat, not meeting the ex-convict's eyes. "My apologies, Mr. Black." He said just above a mutter.

Sirius gave a nervous chuckled and waved it off. "No problem, Harry. And call me Sirius. Mr. Black was my mother. She was very masculine for a lady."

Harry chuckled lightly, the joke breaking most of the tense atmosphere. Remus came around from the couch as Snape and McGonagall put away their wands.

"Harry, this is Remus Lupin, another of your parent's friends." Dumbledore introduced them.

"Mr. Lupin." Harry nodded, shaking the man's hand.

"Just Remus, please." The older man smiled.

"Has everyone arrived?" Dumbledore asked Sirius.

"You arrived a little early but we're expecting them about--"

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoed throughout the house and Harry tensed as he heard a woman screaming profanity in the halls. "What on Earth is that?" He asked, bewildered.

Sirius grimaced as he headed for the door. "My dear old mum."

Harry and the others followed him out into the hallway where Harry saw him wrestling with a pair of black curtains that apparently had flown open, revealing one of the uglier portraits Harry had seen in his time. A old, sickly, rather fat woman in black robes was screaming at the top of her voice, her eyes bulging as she looked at her son.

Harry leaned against the living room door, the others in the hall fully, as he listened to the woman's rant.

"YOU! YOU WRETCHED BASTARD SPAWN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE! I CAST YOU OUT LONG AGO! NO SON OF MINE WOULD CAVORT WITH MUDBLOOD AND ANIMAL FILTH LIKE YOU HAVE! LEAVE! LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN!"

"SHUT IT, YOU MISERABLE OLD COW!" Sirius shouted equally as loud as he gave one final tug, jerking the curtains back into place. Silence descended upon the hallway, the only sound being Sirius' haggard breathing until Harry softly spoke.

"Well…she seemed nice."

The others gawked at him before Sirius let out a bark of laughter, causing the others to laugh as well. Except Snape. He just sneered.

"Yeah." Sirius shook his head. "Real picture of motherly affection, my mum."

Remus chuckled and undid the locks on the door. When he opened it, Harry managed to catch a brief glimpse of a gaggle of redheads before a blonde blur slammed into him, sending him to the ground as a gleeful shout filled his ears.

"'ARRY!"

Harry let out an "oomph" as he hit the floor, a soft weight on top of him, as Mrs. Black's shrieks once more filled the house. Ignoring the insane woman's ramblings, Harry glanced down to see a mass of silvery blonde hair dominating most of his vision and a pair of slender arms wrapper around his neck. Confused, Harry brushed a few soft stands away, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief.

"Fleur!?" He blurted out.

The beautiful French half-Veela beamed back at him.

"_What are you doing here?" _Harry asked in fluent French as he helped the girl to her feet. She didn't remover her arms from around his neck, instead pulling him into another tight hug.

"_I work here now."_ She replied, also in her native tongue. _"I got a job at Gringotts last year to help improve my English. Or so I tell people." _She smirked mischievously.

"_I know that look." _Harry said warily. _"You're up to something."_ He accused.

"_Why, Harry, you would accuse an innocent girl like me of wrongdoing?"_ Fleur asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Harry snorted. _"Innocent? You? A teasing little minx more like."_

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind them broke them from their banter and they both turned to see Dumbledore twinkling merrily at them while the others just looked confused. It was then that Harry saw the newcomers.

An entire brood of redheads, most likely a family, stood in the hallway. A plump woman stood beside a balding man wearing horn rimmed glasses and behind them stood two young men. One was short and stocky and his arms, visible in his short sleeved t-shirt, had some nasty looking old burns on them. The second, taller one had his long hair pulled back into a ponytail and a single Dragon fang earring hung from his ear. He was also glancing between Harry and Fleur in confusion.

"Ah, I wasn't aware that you two knew each other." Dumbledore said, smiling at the pair.

"An acquaintance from an old case." Harry said, not wanting the old man to start prying.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore simply _had_ to know everything. "I'm curious, Ms. Delacour, if you knew Harry was alive, why didn't you tell us at any time during the last year? It may have proven useful."

Fleur shrugged. "Two reasons. One, eet waz classified and two, you did not ask."

Dumbledore's smile faltered slightly before reaffirming itself. "I would love to hear the story."

Before Harry could tell him off for snooping, Fleur swooped in. She knew it would be easier to give the man enough to slate his thirst or he'd hound them both. "A year ago, before I started working at Gringottz, my Papa, ze French Minizter for Magic, was targeted by a 'orid man with a grudge against ze Delacour family. Since he iz the Minizter, ze Inquisition took action and sent 'Arry to eliminate ze threat. We knew who he was but he asked zat we not tell anyone of his identity or zat he was alive. He 'ad just saved my family so we 'ad no problems honouring his wishes."

"_Took them a while to warm up to me though." _Harry muttered, causing him and Fleur to laugh, confusing the others because of the language barrier.

"_Yes, Mama took a while to warm up to the idea of someone as young as you being in charge of our protection but her fears were quickly laid to rest after the first attempt on our lives. Papa knew that you wouldn't be an Inquisitor if you weren't capable. I'm afraid Grand-mere _still_ hasn't forgiven you for that incident with the 700 year old stain glass window." _She grinned at the memory.

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. The Delacour matriarch _hated_ him. _"Thing survives revolution and war but an hour and a half with me and it's in pieces on the floor of the ballroom, champagne is all over the guests and I broke that one waitresses' arm."_

"_But let's not forget Gabrielle. She simply _loves_ you."_ Fleur giggled.

Harry chuckled nervously, glancing around, watching out for the little girl who could give the most devout of fanatics a run for their money when it came to him. _"She's not here…is she?"_

Fleur simply laughed at him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again, getting their attention once more. "I'm afraid we'll have to break this reunion short but I'm sure you'll be able to talk after the meeting. The others will arrive soon. In the meantime, Harry, I'd like to introduce you to the Weasleys."

"Weasley?" He asked. "As in Fred, George, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley?"

"That's right." The man with the glasses nodded, a kind smile on his face. "I'm Arthur, this is my wife Molly and these are my eldest sons Bill and Charlie." He introduced each in turn.

"How do you do-oomph!" He was caught off guard when he was pulled into a rib cracking hug by Molly. He glanced at the others, wondering what he was supposed to do, but they just smiled at him.

"Oh, Harry, it's been so many years! The last time I saw you, you were only a few months old. You were such a cute baby back then. I can't believe how much you remind me of your father but you have your mother's beautiful eyes." She gushed.

"Uh…thanks?" He said uncomfortably as he stood stock still in her grip. He wasn't fond of strangers touching him. Even people he knew had to spend some time getting close to him.

"Mum, let him go, you're embarrassing him." One of the guys, Charlie, chuckled.

Harry threw him a grateful glance as Molly released him. He shook each of the Weasley men's hands in turn before Dumbledore ushered them into a large dining room in the basement where a large table was set up, able to seat many people.

As she was following them in, Fleur felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and she looked up into the face of Bill Weasley.

"You are wondering why I am so familiar with 'Arry." It wasn't a question.

Bill blushed a little a being found out so easily. "Yeah." He smiled nervously. "I know it's none of my business or anything but…you two were never…?"

Fleur smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. "_Non_. We grew close during ze time 'e was with us and 'e iz now my friend; one of my best friends. I love 'im as a brother but there never 'as and I doubt there ever will be anything between us."

Bill let out a small breath of relief and squeezed her shoulder before they took their seats.

"Feel free to sit down if you wish, Harry." Dumbledore proffered from his own seat beside Sirius who sat at the head of the table as Head of the House.

Harry stood near one of the corners of the room, directly opposite the door where he could watch everyone who entered. "Force of habit, Headmaster. I prefer to be the last one seated."

"Ugh." Fleur snorted in playful disgust. "You are so paranoid. No one is going to try and kill you at ze dinner table."

"That time at the French Ministry ball says otherwise, Mademoiselle Delacour."

Fleur glared at him for several breaths until Harry sighed in irritation but there was a smile playing about his lips. "Fine. _Fleur_."

"That's better." She smiled in satisfaction.

Harry shook his head but straightened up as the door opened to admit more people. The first he only one he vaguely recognised as that Shacklebolt guy from Hogsmeade and a few steps behind him lurched a man Harry recognised.

'_Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody.'_ He thought at the grizzled ex-Auror lurched into the room, his wooden leg clunking loudly on the floor, his magical eye spinning madly until it settled on him, unmoving. Harry gave the old fighter a brief nod and took in the others in the room. He recognised none of them. He decided to wait in the shadows for now.

When they were all seated, Dumbledore rose, a smile on his wrinkled face. "Welcome everyone. I now call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to begin."

'_So this is what he meant when he said the "Order" would be in Hogsmeade.'_ Harry thought as he glanced over the guests again. Apart from a few exceptions, none looked like fighters.

Dumbledore continued, his tone more grave. "As many of you undoubtedly already know, the forces of Lord Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade during the Hogwarts trip." The gathered members gave a collective shudder at the name, some even yelping or crying, and started to mutter to each other. Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, which was granted almost immediately. "The battle was long and hard but in the end we managed to drive the Death Eaters out of the village." The group gave a few cheers at that.

'_What do you mean "we"? You weren't even there.' _Harry thought from his corner.

"Sadly this victory didn't come without loss. While none of the Hogwarts students were killed or severely injured, the final tally put it at thirteen dead Aurors and thirty dead civilians."

The room fell quiet at that, a small moment for the dead, until one person in the back spoke up. "What about the Death Eaters? How many did they loose?" The man's voice was angry.

Dumbledore sighed softly and glanced towards the shadowed corner where Harry his before softly saying, "Of the approximately one-hundred that attacked the village, they have lost fifty seven of their numbers."

The room was silent before it suddenly burst into cheers. It took nearly a minute before they settled down.

One man spoke up from beside Moody. "Do you mean to tell us that we've captured _fifty seven_ Death Eaters!?"

Dumbledore shook his head. If they didn't know better, they'd have thought he seemed sad. "No." He said quietly. "We didn't capture fifty seven Death Eaters. Fifty seven is the amount of Death Eaters that were killed in the attack."

Once more, the room fell into a stunned silence. Many were looking at each other in confusion except Fleur who was looking at Harry from the corner of her eye. He stood unrepentant.

"Wait a minute." Bill's confused voice broke through the silence. "I thought Aurors were only authorised to Stun on sight. I heard that Amelia Bones is trying to force through a bill to give Aurors more spells to use from, some that could be deadly, but it hasn't even gone through yet. I know one or two could have been killed by accident but how did fifty seven die?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "I believe we shall see tonight. Before that, however, I would like to hear your reports. William, why don't you go first?"

Bill got to his feet. "I've spoken to some of the more senior Goblins in the bank, as has Fleur. So far they believe that the war isn't their problem or top priority. I doubt they would join with You-Know-Who but they've made it clear that they don't intend to join the Ministry yet nor have they agreed to help police Death Eater vaults or freeze their accounts. I'll keep trying but I don't know how long it will take."

"Thank you, William. Remus, what news from the Werewolves?"

"Two more clans have joined the Death Eaters but I've managed to convince quite a few to wait until these new laws come through before they make a decision. They know Voldemort will only turn on them in the end but they still won't do anything to help until they see change in the way they're treated by the Ministry. Albus, if I were you I'd see about getting those laws passed as soon as possible. They'll only sit idle for so long." The tired man warned.

Dumbledore nodded in thought. "I will redouble my efforts but Cornelius is proving difficult to deal with these days. Mundungus, what news from Knockturn Alley?"

They went through all those who were in a position to give information, some even just reporting rumours. Harry had to admit, from what looked like a group of civilians playing vigilante, they had an okay spy system. While it was a far cry from the best, it wasn't the worst. Though, he thought a little smugly, his spy system in some countries was far better. He didn't think to acknowledge that many of those spies were introduced to him by Alizabeth.

While this was all going on, Snape sat in his corner, silently willing himself to disappear. What the hell was that old man thinking!? You do not ask a Death Eater, ex or not, who was currently acting as a double agent about their activities while in the company of an Inquisitor! When he'd brought up his concerns to Albus in his office before Potter arrived, the Headmaster only smiled and reassured him that he would be able to convince Harry to let him go about his business without incident if it came to it. Snape had snorted at him. From what he'd seen do far, the Potter brat wasn't one to cooperate with Dumbledore on any level. His years as a spy and a Slytherin allowed him to read people well and while Potter was harder than most, almost as hard as it was to read the Dark Lord, the boy seemed to always be only borderline polite with the Headmaster but hid it well. It seemed that Potter's spawn didn't think too highly of Dumbledore. Still, he had doubts of Albus' ability to protect him from Potter and silently prayed that Dumbledore passed over him tonight. _'Don't call me, don't call me, don't call me…'_

"Severus, what news from Voldemort's camp?"

'_Damn it, you miserable old fool!'_ He glanced hesitantly towards the corner where Potter stood but to his amazement, the boy didn't look surprised or even taken aback at the revelation. _'Did he already know?'_

"Severus?" Albus called again.

Snape cleared his throat, giving Potter one more glance before standing, seemingly as cool and composed as ever. "The Dark Lord is unpleased that he lost so many of his followers as he didn't anticipate such a level of resistance but he strangely seems pleased with something. I don't know if he didn't tell me of the attack because he is unconvinced of my loyalty or simply because he felt I didn't need to know but I have heard that he will need to cut back on attacks for a while until his forces are replenished. He is also still interested in getting the Prophesy from the Department of Mysteries and I believe he had several plans but he has told no one of them." He finished imperiously.

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Severus. As always we appreciate the risk you are taking for us." He waited until the greasy haired man sat before continuing. "I would now like to bring up the matter of the protections of Azkaban." He looked over his shoulder. "Harry?"

Those that had been unaware of his presence gasped in shock as the Inquisitor stepped from the shadows, his heavy coat and armour making him all the more imposing. They muttered among themselves, many pointing to his scar but Harry paid them no heed as he sat at the table, folding his arms and crossing one leg over the other.

Talking over the whispers, silencing them, Dumbledore asked, "What news of the protections we were promised?"

Harry sighed in annoyance. "I received a missive from the Departmento Munitorum about a week and a half ago. It seems that Officer Halpner, the man that took our order, was found dead in his office. Cause of death was a heart attack. His paperwork was passed onto his assistants for a time until his replacement was found but they couldn't authorise the kind of troop mobilization we ordered. I heard that he has since been replaced so I expect the defences to arrive in the next week or two."

Dumbledore nodded, both of them ignoring the looks of confusion the others were giving them. "We appreciate any help the Inquisition can give. About the names of the Death Eaters we were given, I assume you wish to be with the teams that are sent to apprehend them?"

Harry nodded. "Either myself or one of my agents will go with the Aurors."

Suddenly, Molly Weasley's scolding, disapproving voice spoke up, rather condescendingly Harry thought. "Now, Albus, you can't possibly be thinking of sending Harry to apprehend those monsters! He's only a child, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry took a deep breath as his right fist began to slowly clench and unclench, a habit he'd developed when he was getting agitated. His Basilisk hide gloves creaked but no one heard as more spoke up.

"Molly's right, Albus." Another voice spoke up. Harry saw from his robes that the man was an Auror but the lack of wounds or fatigue suggested he hadn't been at the Hogsmeade attack. "The kid should focus on getting us our supplies and defences. It'll just cause problems if we have to have someone looking after him in a raid. No offence, kid, but leave this to the professionals." There were a few muttered agreements but others sat silently, not commenting.

Harry didn't know whether to laugh at the man or break his jaw so he settled for the diplomatic course of action and turned to Dumbledore. "I think we should carry on with the meeting, don't you, Headmaster." His face, voice and posture gave away nothing but Albus could tell by the way Harry's fist was clenched that it would be best to hurry things along.

"Yes, of course." Dumbledore cleared his throat before pulling out a small stone basin from his robes. He set in on the table and tapped it one with his wand, restoring it to it's true size. "If no one disagrees, I would ask them to please submit a Pensieve memory of their actions in the attack. I believe that it could give us insight into Death Eater tactics and there may even be Death Eaters who were unmasked in the memories, allowing us to know who to watch."

Harry covered his grin with his hand. This was going to be fun to see.

Dumbledore passed the Pensieve to the Auror, Shacklebolt. The powerfully built man placed his wand to his temple and dropped the memory into the bowl. Dumbledore tapped a few of the Runes on the rim with his own wand and a 3D projection appeared above the stone basin. They all watched, from Shacklebolt's point of view, the start of the attack.

As Harry watched the memory of the man's duels, he had to admit that Shacklebolt had skill. While it wasn't on the level of an Inquisitor, the man clearly had prowess above that of normal Aurors. It was especially evident when he took on three Death Eaters by himself and won when he Stunned them after Transfiguring a pile of straw into a swarm of bees and had them attack his opponents. The memory ended with the Death Eaters Apparating out, grabbing those of their numbers who were unconscious.

When the memory faded, Shacklebolt received quite a few compliments to which he just gave a simple nod of thanks. He was modest. Good.

The Pensieve continued to be passed around from person to person. For the most part, Harry hardly paid them attention. The duels he saw quickly fell into a pattern. Run in, dodge/get hit by spell, spend five minutes trying to hit target, finally succeed in Stunning them, repeat. He had to agree with the others though when that one man, Mundungus, who fled five minutes into the battle after Stunning one Death Eater in the back. The only high point in his opinion was Moody's memory. That old man had moves! He especially liked the tactic of Transfiguring the boar head sign of the Hog's Head into a cauldron of acid then dropping it onto the Death Eaters below. He'd have to try that sometime. He caught the old fighter's eye and gave him a respectful nod, which was returned.

Finally, after Remus deposited his memory, Dumbledore turned to Harry. With a sly smile, he tapped his wand to his temple and withdrew his own memory before dropping into the bowl. Sitting back, he crossed his arms and waited for the show.

He didn't have to wait long before the projection of him in Hogsmeade appeared just as the attack began. He'd Apparated to the top of a nearby building to see smoke plumes drifting over the village before a scream of pain drew him to a nearby alley where the three Slytherins were cornered by three Death Eaters. They watched as he deflected the Cruciatus and healed the boy before sending them off towards the carriages. Harry turned his attention from the memory to the faces of those watching just as his memory self spoke.

"_You're right. Aurors would have trouble with three opponents. But Inquisitors are on a whole other level."_

Everyone in the kitchen jumped as the sounds of the Death Eaters being killed echoed around the room. They paled as arterial blood sprayed from the gashes and they were shocked by how natural Harry sounded as he spoke with the last Death Eater right before they killed him.

Then the slaughter began.

They watched, both in amazement and spellbound horror as Harry cut through swathes of Death Eaters like a scythe through wheat. For those with an appreciation of fighting skill (e.g. Shacklebolt and Moody) they were impressed by the young teen's ability to somehow know where the next attack would come from and his subsequent counter. The screams and explosions of the battle were the only sound to be heard in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Briefly, Harry heard faint sobbing and saw Molly Weasley clutching to her husband, tears running down her face. She was looking between him and the projection, her expression flickering between fear and pity. Harry didn't know what to make of it. He glanced at Fleur who was watching the battle, her face grim but understanding. Dumbledore also seemed to be watching the battle with great disappointment but Harry could see the cogs turning in the man's mind.

Finally they came to the part where Harry sensed Riddle's presence in the village before Apparating to the Square. It was then that they got their first look at the Dark Lord.

Many screamed in fright, some started and Harry even heard Sirius and Moody growl at the sight of the man. Dumbledore's eyes snapped to Harry. He was probably confused as to why he didn't tell him of Riddle's appearance in the village. They listened to the back and forth between the two. Some glance at Harry, wondering how he could have been so calm when he was facing You-Know-Who of all people and some watched Tom in fearful fascination. They probably didn't expect someone so feared and so evil to be so normal.

They all gasped when Riddle revealed his half of the Prophesy, many eyes flicking to Harry and only he saw Dumbledore's face pale and tighten when Tom revealed that he'd deciphered the Prophesy and when the evil Wizard offered Harry a chance to join him, Dumbledore's eyes glued themselves to Harry. Now that he was watching, he realised that he'd considered the offer for quite some time and the Order members began to look at him somewhat fearfully during the drawn out pause, only to release a sigh of release when he turned it down.

They jumped when the memory Harry dodge out of the way of a seemingly invisible attack only for the ground beneath him to be destroyed. Their jays dropped as Hogsmeade Square began to erupt around the two Wizards apparently without cause.

"Harry, what is going on?" Dumbledore whispered in awe. He'd never seen this type of power before. "What is happening to the village."

"Oh, sorry." Harry said. He quickly drew his wand and reached over to the Pensieve where he tapped a few of the Runes before muttering something and giving the wand a small stab. The hewn bowl pulsed gold and the projection shifted. The world it showed became dark and people could see the glowing mind representations battling it out.

When the fight was over there was a heavy silence before Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Why did you let him escape?"

Harry scratched the back of his head. "I couldn't capture or kill him in the village. There were simply too many people around and I would have needed to use more powerful spells that would have caused more damage. If we'd have used our more useful spells, Hogsmeade wouldn't be standing. I let him go to kill him another day. Plus something he said concerns me. I'd like to meet with you sometime in the week to talk, Headmaster."

Dumbledore blinked. This was one of the few times Harry had ever actually sought him out to talk. Usually it was the other way around. This development pleased Albus greatly. "Of course, Harry. I'll set up an appointment and get back to you." He checked his pocket watch. It was getting close to midnight meaning they'd been here for three hours. "I think we'd better wrap things up now as it's getting late. I ask that you each continue with you individual assignments and remember: be vigilant at all times. Until we next meet, my friends."

The group broke up at that. Many began talking about the duel they had seen, the 'Dark' spells that Harry had performed and the revelations they heard. Moody, Shacklebolt and a young Auror named Tonks came over to talk to him (Or flirt in Tonks' case). They complimented him on his skills and he on theirs before they broke up, each heading for the doors. Harry had a brief, slightly awkward word with Sirius and Remus, promising they'd talk soon adn retunred Fleur's hug and recieved a kiss on the cheek. She told him they'd need to catch up sometime and he agreed. With the meeting over for the night, the Hogwarts group vanished into the Floo.

* * *

Snape prowled through the corridors of the castle on his way to the dungeons. His feet moved on their own, his mind preoccupied with his thoughts on Potter.

'_Why didn't he react when he heard I was a Death Eater spy? Did he know? No, Albus said he never told him and no one else would have been stupid enough to cross him. Then how did he know? Did he follow me to one of the meetings? I'm sure I would have noticed if he did.'_

He was so lost in thought that he never noticed the flash of red behind him before his world went black.

* * *

Severus groaned as he fought his way back to full consciousness. At least he thought he was conscious. He couldn't see. He could hear the sounds of birds cawing and feel cold wind blowing past him causing a haunting moaning sound. He tried to move but there was what felt like thick rope tied tightly across his chest, binding him to something behind him. His hands were tied before him as well. He tried to call out but there was some kind of gag in his mouth tied tight around his head. He forced himself not to panic and to try to find a way out of this mess so he could find those responsible and upholster his classroom chair with their skin!

Before he could come up with too many plans, however, the sack was ripped off his head. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. It was then that he recognised the person standing in front of him.

"Potter!" He spat as he glanced around. They were in a clearing in the middle of a forest, the ground taken up by the thick roots of the giant trees. Light was near non existent, only coming from a small hole in the forest canopy that looked like it had been made with a Blasting Charm. Glancing back, he saw that he was indeed tied to a tree. "What do you think you're doing, Potter!"

"I just wanted to chat is all, Severus." Harry calmly replied as he crouched at Snape's side on his haunches. "I've been meaning to have a chat with you for a while."

"What are you talking about?" The Potions Master snapped. "Talk about what?"

Harry shrugged. "Choices." He said conversationally. "Particularly choices you've made and yet to make."

"Choices!?" Snape asked incredulously. "What are you talking about? I demand you release me at once!"

"Let's begin with choices you've made." Harry said casually. "You of course know what choices you've made in you life. You chose to go to Hogwarts. You chose to specialise in Potions since you had a gift with them. You chose to dock fifteen points from that Third Year Gryffindor today in the corridors because he was 'scruffy' since he had his top button on his shirt undone." Harry's eyes hardened slightly. "You chose to go to Riddle with the Prophesy all those years ago."

Snape felt his face pale and his gut clenched. This would not be pleasant.

Harry's eyes narrowed until they were slits. "You also _chose_ to betray a woman and her family out of jealousy, didn't you?"

Snape couldn't speak. His throat had closed up in fear and his lungs had stopped drawing air.

His head snapped to the side as Harry's fist connected with it, nearly breaking his neck and loosening some teeth.

"Didn't you!?" The last Potter barked.

"Yes!" Snape gasped in pain as his head lolled around to face him. Blood ran freely from his split lip as a bruise began to bloom across his jaw.

Harry grabbed the man's face roughly and forced it up until he could look him in the eye. Snape gave an involuntary shudder. Potter looked as angry as he had when he first saw Black, if not more so. "You sold out Lily Potter and her entire family because you couldn't _stand_ the fact that she was with James Potter, the man you hated with all your heart, didn't you!?"

"Argh! Yes, alright!" Snape shouted in pain as Potter's grip on his face became so tight, he feared he might crush his skull.

Harry snarled and slammed the man's head against the tree with such force that Severus saw stars before he leaned close, his breathing ragged. Oh, how he'd love to break this man's neck like a dry twig!

Harry's voice dropped to a furious whisper. "You sold out a woman's entire family and begged that bastard Riddle to kill them but spare her for you, _**didn't you!?**__"_

"Rmss." Snape tried to nod as Harry's grip on his face became so tight that he could move his jaw.

Harry literally shook with unbridled fury before he drew his fist back and hammered it into Snape's face three times, breaking his nose, cheekbone and knocking out both teeth and Severus himself. He threw the man's head out of his grip then surged to his feet as he began to pace. He went through every Occlumency meditation technique he knew to try and rein in his anger. It wouldn't do to kill the man _yet_. He still had his uses.

It was nearly five minutes before Harry was anywhere near calm. He was still furious but not the homicidal kind of furious. His fingers twitched. "_Enervate_."

Snape jerked as he was awakened again, only to groan in pain as he felt his broken face throb. He looked up through tear filled eyes at the figure above him, his gave filled with equal measure of fear and hate.

Harry glared at the man with utter contempt and hate, causing him to flinch slightly. Taking a slow breath to try and compose himself, Harry managed to speak in a controlled voice that was only slightly shaking with anger. "You have two choices, Snape. You can either accept the punishment I've chosen for you or you can do something worthwhile for once in your pathetic excuse for an existence. From now on you will tell me _everything_ you see, hear and think about both Riddle _and_ Dumbledore as well as their little groups. I don't care if you couldn't have passed it on to him for fear of being killed, that's not my concern. Nothing will change between us in the public eye. You'll still mock and ridicule me and I will continue to not care but out of the view of others you will report to me. I want to know every little detail you know and staying alive once you do is your problem. I want names, times, dates, and anything else of importance. You will leave nothing out and believe me, I _will_ know if you do and the consequences will be very dire."

"And if I don't?" Snape asked hatefully through bloodied teeth, wincing as his wounds throbbed. Harry had to give it to him, the man had guts.

Harry simply gave a shrill whistle and Snape's eyes widened in horror as from the darkened bushes emerged a pair of rabid looking wolves. Their fur was black, almost blending them perfectly with the dark, and thick ropes of saliva dripped from their jaws as their hungry eyes locked onto Snape's bound form. They snarled and growled, their hackles rising back over sharp teeth as they stopped beside Harry, who was completely at ease with the hungry beasts. Harry reached down to scratch one behind it's ears and it leaned into his touch, the crazy, ravenous look of hunger still on it's face.

Harry looked Snape in the eye. "If you refuse, I leave you here and allow these two to have their fill. You either do as I say or die. I don't care what option you chose, it's a win-win situation for me. Chose quickly though, I haven't got a lot of patience."

Snape was nearly hyperventilating as he looked between Potter and the frothing wolves at his feet. He didn't have a lot of choices. Death at the wolves' hands, Potter's hands or the Dark Lord's hands with a very slim chance of him making it out of this war alive. His choice had been made for him.

"Fine, I'll help you!" He snarled, his hate and anger overriding the pain in his jaw.

Harry didn't smile but snapped his fingers, causing his two Conjured wolves to vanish into the forest once more. Snape tensed as he raised his hand and on the palm began to glow a arcane symbol, the hot orange light almost blinding in the dark.

"W-What are you doing?" Snape asked fearfully as he pushed himself back against the tree, wishing it would swallow him up and get him away from this nightmare.

Harry smirked slightly as he advanced. "Well, you have Tom's little tattoo on you arm, Albus has you in those shackles he calls teacher's robes. I just wanted to mark my property as well and ensure you won't try to betray me." He crouched before the shaking Death Eater, as composed as ever. He tilted his head to the side as he raised his palm towards Snape's forehead and right before it connected said, "Don't worry. It'll only hurt a little."

Snape's screams of agony echoed across the forest.

After what felt like an eternity of soul searing agony, Snape felt Potter's hand remove itself from his forehead as a foreign presence settled inside his mind. As he heaved and panted, trying valiantly to stay conscious, Snape heard Harry's voice whispering next to his ear. "You _work_ for Dumbledore and you _work_ for Tom Riddle but _I own_ you, Severus. Mind, body and soul, you belong to me to do with as I wish. Do you understand?"

With his last remaining energy, Snape's shakily raised his head to glare at Harry with more hatred than he had ever felt in his life. The contempt and hate he felt for James Potter paled in comparison to that which he now felt for his spawn.

"Yes," He snarled. "I understand."

With a tight, ironic smirk, Harry asked, "Yes, what?"

His jaw clenched so much that it hurt, Snape growled, "Yes, _Inquisitor Potter_!"

Somewhere in the forest, a wolf howled.

* * *

**Uh…Merry Christmas, Severus!**

**And Merry Christmas to you as well! Many have asked for Harry to confront Snape and he has so what did you think. My treatment of Snape was not only to further the plot but as my present to you. If you want to get me a present, simply leave a review. If you wish to give a monetary present, talk to me later. *Grin***

**This is the last update util after the New Year so check back then. Until then…**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**


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